I've had problems with migraines for as long as I can
remember, but they weren't diagnosed until I was about 25 years old. I
tried a lot of different medications to alleviate the pain associated
with them, as well as ways to possibly prevent them, like abstaining
from certain foods, etc. Whatever I did, I ended up having migraines
at least once a week, usually lasting a day, and overnight into the next
day. The frequency seemed to get worse as I got older, and I started
getting them up to 3 times a week. The only thing I could do
for myself at those times is lay down in a dark, quiet room, and
hope for them to go away. Getting work done was next to impossible,
as was concentrating on anything.
I was doing some research on the Internet, looking for recent migraine
information, when I came across a few pages about the NTI. I read through them, and tried the "pencil test" as described on a few of the pages, and realized that the clenching problem described was exactly what I was experiencing. I had tried night guards previously, but ended up in more pain from clenching even more than I did without. Doing a little more searching, I found that Dr. Drance handled NTI devices in the lower mainland. After an initial consultation, I decided that the NTI sounded like a great idea. If it worked, it would be money well spent, and if it didn't, it wasn't like I hadn't spent much more money over the years trying to eliminate my headaches. We took the impressions right in the office, and it was ready the same day. A
little adjustment and grinding of the device after the molding and
I was good to go.
I found it a little uncomfortable for the first three or four nights,
but as my jaw muscles began to relax, I found it less and less intrusive. After about a week I didn't even notice it. And my migraines went away. Keeping track in the last year, I have had about three migraines with a duration of 2 days each, compared to my previous 2 or 3 migraines a day pattern. As you can imagine, my sleep is better, my productivity is better, and I just feel a lot better overall. Another bonus is that as my jaw muscles continued to relax, my jaws realigned into a natural position, one that I would more naturally have if I hadn't been clenching all those years. My teeth look nice, and far more aligned than they used to. I
feel like I paid for a little orthodontics on top of all of this.
I'd recommend this product to anyone who has migraines brought on
by teeth clenching. It's been a wonder for me, and I'm very thankful
to Dr. Drance for carrying these in the Lower Mainland.
