Has your nti splint ever been adjusted? If not, you should have your dentist look at it.

I do have an nti and it's okay, but I prefer to wear my full bottom bite splint. I wasn't having problems with it; it just didn't make my jaw feel very stable.

You could try and wear it only at night and see if that helps. I only wear a splint while sleeping. During my awake hours i'm just very careful to keep my jaw relaxed, tongue on top of mouth and lips together (but relaxed), and make sure that my neck and chin are kept where they should be instead of thrusting them forward. If you feel any urge to clench during the daytime, I have a co-worker who puts his tongue between his teeth and it works for him.

I believe your first plan of action should be to have the splint checked out by your tmj dentist and adjusted if necessary.

God bless...
Carol

I just got my nti splint less than a week ago. I went back the next day to get it "adjusted" but it's not helped. I'm going back in a few days but in the meantime I think I will stop wearing it in the day. I haven't had any luck thus far. I hope an adjustment helps. Thanks for you input.

Uw dental school.

What exactly have you heard about the nti being bad? I was told by my dentist today that it can take months before you feel an improvement and to just stick with it. He wants me in every week to do adjustments and check it out and my insurance is maxed out, so I don't want to invest in this "device" only to make matters worse.

Hi jlsoroch,

i tried the nti-tss splint a few years ago. Having had full upper splints before and not having a ton of success, I really thought this was the answer to all of my problems. Unfortunately, it did not help any more than the other splints I had used and I cracked through it and bit it completely in half within 6-8 months. The dentist couldn't believe it as he had never seen anything like that so he made me a full upper to replace it. I didn't notice anything as far as it making things worse but it definitely wasn't better than other splints I have tried and definitely didn't hold up as well. I'm sure everyone has different experiences with it but just wanted to share mine. I hope you get relief soon.

Take care.

Kerianne

Hi kerianne and jlsoroch,
i mysteriously lost my catswold membership here. One day I just couldn't log on and I never could get anyone to answer my emails asking for help, so I made a new account - catswolds (added an s, sneaky me).

How are you feeling? I've been doing okay after I got the cast off my foot. Back to work, etc. Tmj bugs me occasionally but much less painful when it does.

Jlsorock - have you seen any other tmj specialist for a 2nd opinion or anything? I ask because I feel that you were charged too much for the nti splint and wondered if someone else could help better. Nti's aren't for everyone, sadly. But I do firmly believe that a good bite splint is the best way to help someone with tmj. It's just a matter of finding the right kind of splint and a good maker and adjuster of the splint. That can be the most frustrating, expensive and difficult parts about having tmj (other than the pain of course).

Kerianne - are you having better luck with splints and clenching yet? What about your posture?

I have been sloppy with my posture lately (in front of the computer) and have noticed the difference. I also stopped sleeping on the good pillow and my neck and shoulders started acting up also. Silly me, so i'm back on the good pillow and trying to focus more on my posture. I need to see my massage therapist also, soon!!!

I hope and pray that you are both doing as well as possible.
God bless...
Carol
(catswolds)

Hi carol,

i have been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing. Glad to hear you got the cast off and that your foot is doing well. I haven't been on the forum in awhile - work has been crazy, etc. I am doing okay - still having headaches and shoulder/neck pain and occasional jaw pain. I am regularly going to physical therapy. I didn't think it was helping much but I had to miss while traveling for work and I could definitely tell a difference. It doesn't take away the pain but it does seem to help. They let me rent a tens unit and that helps when things get really tight and painful. I have been trying hard to work on my posture and am doing better but not great. I actually brought my husband in to the physical therapy place and they showed him how to do some stretches and massage on me which has helped when I am really desperate. I also have tubing exercises, etc. That I have to do. I have yet to buy a pillow - I went through a medical supply place and they were going to order it and bill to my insurance but then of course they came back and said they don't carry those and can't order for me (even though someone else I had talked to told me they could!). I need to just go out and buy one myself but with the $500 out of pocket for physical therapy I was hoping to get it covered. Well, i'd better get back to work - just wanted to say hi and thanks for the note. Take care! Hope to hear from you soon.

Kerianne

Hi! I've been suffering for tmd for 8 months now. I'm having severe headaches for months now and I can't take it anymore. My dentist which is a tmj specialist suggested I wear this appliance for two weeks straight, only to remove when eating and brushing. At first it feels so uncomfortable wearing nti, but after 3 days of having it on my teeth I think I finally learned to adjust to it. But unfortunately my situation is still worst. No changes - I still woke up in the morning with headaches and it's definitely worst in the afternoon. I'm supposed to get back to my dentist after two weeks, and she'll make adjustments to it. I'm really desperate now. Is it too early to expect changes? To those who have worn ntis, do you see changes quickly or it takes months or years to see improvements? Please help...

It is very very important that your NTI (if it is an upper-tooth) does not touch either of your canine teeth (these are the pointy "fang-like" teeth next to the shorter center bottom teeth. Also when you slide your jaw along the lower ridge, you should not be able to hit the canine teeth. Canine contact is "real bad" according to NTI inventor Jim Boyd. This could be the cause of symptoms worsening.

So --- no canine contact, even when the jaw moves way over (which it can do in your sleep).

very often this device does not help. in somce cases it does help. it more than likly not the treatment for you. IVe heard bad things about the nti as weill.(oh the canine teeth are called bicuspids for the curious) you might want to look into getting a splint or looking into other treatment options.

I was sceptical at first, since I had been wearing a traditional, full upper "bite-plate" for at least a decade. Finally, my regular dentist convicned me to try an NTI device. Within two nights, I experienced a marked improvement. It has all but cured my TMJ. I no longer wake up with unbearable headaches and pain in my ears, etc. It's most assuredly worth a shot if you've tried everything else and nothing has worked. I just wish I had tried it sooner; I think of all the years I spent popping Advil to make the pain associated with my TMJ go away...

The use of an NTI device can be alleviating to the chronic TMJ Syndrome patient, yet the TMJ Syndrome most likely persists, which includes sites of complications other than the jaw joint. Most TMJ Syndromes are not primary causally, but secondary. The stress cause more exacerbating than causal.
More prudent approach is to receive analysis and corrections from a Certified Craniopath. This is a Doctor of Chiropractic with some 500 hours of qualifying post-graduate training in Craniopathy. He will make specific recommendations as to splint, if needed, from there.
Remember, splints are like crutches, taking off pressure from a faulted system. They do not correct the system which created the pressure.

NTI has been found to alleviate Migraines, but not clenching. My TMJ problem comes from clenching. I have been using the NTI for a week now. Yes, I clench on the NTI just as much as other splints. The only difference is that I can actually tolerate sleeping with this in. It's a good training tool to help remind me to sleep with my mouth open, but it has not improved my tmj pain.

FOLLOW UP - As you are all aware, every professional has their own opinion. Today an oral surgeon told me to beware about an NTI causing my front teeth to bow outwards due to all of the pressure being put on there. ALSO - I was warned that splints that do not cover all teeth can cause other teeth to erupt (grow longer). I have heard this from more than one dentist.

I wore the Nti for about 6 months, when I started to notice that I couldn't get my front teeth together to bite off food. I went back to my dentist who had no clue why my bite was changing. After seeing an orthodontist and an oral surgeon, I realized it was the Nti that was changing my bite. I stopped wearing it immediately and my teeth came back down. (Thank god.) You might consider trying to find out why you grind and clinch so badly. I found out that I have some jaw deformity and over growth, as well as bone growth in my gums from the griding. I will find out soon whether my insurance will cover the orthognathic surgery that will correct my jaw improve my profile and hopefully alleviate my grinding and clinching.

The NTI works well for some,but not others. If it isn't working well for you, stop using it immediately. Try something else. I've posted on medications that can eliminate clenching and bruxing as well as Botox treatments that can greatly reduce those symptoms.

On the other hand, maybe some other type of mouth guard would help. I wouldn't seek to use one though. I chose to go with medication and I can even eat steak again!

I've never heard of anyone using these things during the day. I wasn't aware they were indicated for that use. You shouldn't have anything in your mouth that applies differential pressure to different teeth when not sleeping.

Trust me, my jaw felt like hamburger meat and I had a surgical consult scheduled when I was lucky enough to think of the right meds to take.

I was fitted for NTI and almost swallowed it the first night. The dentist adjusted it and now my front molars ache and throb and the space between my 2 upper front teeth keeps getting larger. Has anyone had this problem? Headaches did improve though.

The NTI-tss is FDA approved for the treatment of migraines & TMJ dysfunction. The appliance works by significantly decreasing the intensity of your parafunctional activity (clenching & grinding). This will fully seat your jaw in the correct position & allow your joint/muscles to relax. Because the majority of your parafunctional forces come from your canines (not called bicuspids but actually cuspids)& back teeth, the NTI reduces those forces by keeping them apart. That is why when some people wear a full nightguard, it can make things worse. It can cause you to clench & grind more intensely. You should take a look at theheadacheremedy.com Also, if you are wearing an NTI & have any problems, too loose, too tight, anything, you really should contact your dentist immediately. Good luck with everything. Take care...

My girlfriend has just had an nti fitted.
As it was causing her pain, the dentist suggested putting the nti into boilng water to soften before putting into place.
The nti has completelty jammed into place.
I am awaiting a call back from him now.
Has anyone got any suggestions for removing the nti safely?

Thank you

Paul

Paul, has the dentist returned your call? Use both hands to pry it off, starting at the are closest to the gums. How many teeth does her NTI cover?