Migraines – your dentist can help

You can feel it coming on. A slight dull pain that increases and finally ends up in a full throbbing and thumping head ache…

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Did you know?

25% of women and 8% of men get migraines sometime in their lifetime. About half of these people get their first migraine before the age of 20, and 98% before the age of 50. Contrary to popular belief, only 60% of migraines are one-sided. 15% of people with migraine always get migraine on the same side. Children are more likely to have pain on both sides. 85% are described as pulsing or throbbing. 62% last longer than 24 hours (if not treated), but they may last less than an hour in children. 80% of migraineurs deal with nausea, but only 30% actually throw up.(Source)

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So what is it that hurts when you have a headache? A number of parts of the head can experience pain. There are a large group of nerves over the scalp, which can cause pain. Specific nerves in the face, mouth and throat can also cause headache pain. Probably the most significant part of the head that is sensitive to pain are the muscles of the head and blood vessels along the surface and base of the brain. These muscles and vessels contain very delicate nerve fibers, which can be irritated by changes in the muscles and blood flow to and around the brain. (Source)

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Now here is good news!!!

Most tension migraines can be effectively treated and prevented by your DENTIST!

Your dentistdesigns a customized device that fits over your 2 front teeth that relaxes the powerful MASETER & TEMPORALIS muscles. These muscles play an integral part in migraine development and by relaxing them, it effectively preventsmigraines!

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For more information or to book an appointment call us at 021-557-3427!

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Migraines and teeth grinding are indeed very real problems many of us are facing in our modern lifestyles.
I have first hand experience as I also use to get migraines.

The treatment your dentist can offer you:

The biteplate that ismost often made for teeth grindersis the full arch horse shoe shape biteplate that fits over the teeth in an arch. Although this stabilised the jaw, I found that I was still grinding and clenching my teeth, but just now on the plate! This meant that I still use to wake up in the mornings with stiff jaw muscles from my grinding on the full arch night guard and the migraines were still there.

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The answer for me came when I first start using the NTI device. This is a custom-made device that fits over your 2 front teeth and unlike the full-arch guards, this only allow me to bite on my 2 front teeth.

What does “NTI” stand for?
Nociceptive (relating to the perception of things that could be harmful); Trigeminal (the nerve that controls the major muscle of mastication; Inhibition.

Try this little test:
Bite on a pencil between your 2 front teeth. You will find that you cannot bite very hard and this is exactely what happens. The force is minimise from biting down and the MASETER & TEMPORALIS muscles relax and over time become weaker. So, instead of training these muscles every night in your sleep, you now relaxes them and your grinding and migraines go away!