Migraine relief with NTI therapy

Does the pain of migraines stand between you and the life you want to live? Migraines are often debilitating, leading to lost work, canceled social events, unfulfilled obligations, and day after day of misery. Unfortunately, many sufferers have met with frustration when seeking treatment. If general physicians and over-the-counter medications have failed you, where can you turn? Dr. Lee Sheldon may have the solution that you have been looking for.

Migraines are caused by the trigeminal nerve, which has three primary branches. It extends to the eye, cheek, and jaw regions. During a migraine, this nerve becomes hyper-functional, sending rapid-fire signals and sensitizing the nerve endings. One of the functions of this nerve is controlling blood flow. The sensitized nerves cause blood vessels to dilate, increasing pressure, and causing a throbbing sensation. This can also result in swelling of the nasal passages, causing some migraines to be misdiagnosed as sinus headaches.

There are some medications available to halt migraine pain by stopping the nerve signals. They are effective for some patients, but preventing pain is always better than treating it after it occurs. To stop migraines, we need to understand what makes the nerve hyper-functional. Often, the answer lies in the TMJs (jaw joints). The same nerve that causes migraines is responsible for movement of the large muscles in your TMJ. When these muscles are contracting excessively, the nerve is overstimulated.

The most common cause of excess muscular activity in the TMJ is bruxism (teeth grinding). You probably think that you don’t have this habit, because it occurs most often during sleep. If your teeth are unevenly worn, or your headaches are worse in the morning, you very likely have bruxism.

NTI is a dental device that prevents the patient from exerting excessive force. It is usually worn during sleep, and it works by preventing the front teeth from making contact. This, in turn, prevents the jaw muscles from being engaged fully. That means the nerve is not activated, and the chain reaction leading to migraines is stopped before it starts!

If you are looking for relief from migraines or other chronic pain, call (321) 622-2402 and schedule an appointment with Dr. Sheldon to find out if NTI therapy is right for you.

Lee N. Sheldon, DMD

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