Guest guest Posted October 14, 2005 Report Share Posted October 14, 2005 Hi Diane Wow. I'm not alone then. No I didn't sign a consent form and my dentist (ex dentist!) refused to admit that the NTI could have caused it. I found a page on the NTI website that said it could and how dentists must make patients sign the form and I emailed it to him but he didn't even reply. I was very angry about it and asked for my money back (small recompense I thought!) but he said no because he'd told me that there was no guarantee it would work for me. What he didn't tell me is that it could make it worse and as I said he still refuses to believe that it did. The degree of my open bite is exactly the same as the size of the NTI device. In fact my dentist's response was 'oh well, we'll just build up the device so your back teeth don't touch any more! RIGHT. Imagine how much of an open bite I'd have now if he'd done that. How long did you wear the NTI for? How long did it take before your front teeth stopped touching? One thing that makes me doubt the NTI was the total cause was that I only wore it for a couple of months before it became clear to me what was happening. My surgeon said that devices like that do open the bite and he uses them as part of his treatment when that's needed, but that it takes at least 6 months for it to work. So maybe I was on the verge of getting an open bite anyway. I saw an orthodontist just before I got the NTI who said I did have an open bite and warned me against getting a splint that covered only my front teeth or " you'll be in big trouble " . I disliked her and didn't ask her to elaborate or do what she said. At that point my front teeth touched as normal - I could eat tomato sandwiches, whatever, didn't know any other reality. Maybe I would have ended up on the surgery path anyway, because I have an assymetry. So where am I up to.... not much yet, haven't even got the braces on. I'm (hopefully) about to get pregnant with my second child. Once he/she's born, I'll get the braces on so that I can have the surgery after the baby's turned one and is weaned. I have seen a surgeon but haven't had the models made, extensive x-rays etc that will reveal exactly what I'll have done, but like you it is probably just lower, possibly upper (although the upper's for a slightly gummy smile that doesn't overly worry me). Your braces stage hasn't lasted too long! How old are you? I'm 33 next month and apparently my teeth at this stage are expected to take a year to move. I'd be pleased to talk further. I'm in New Zealand, by the way. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi to all other bruxers > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I just want to shout my frustration that wearing away our > > > > > own > > > > > > > > teeth at > > > > > > > > > night is horrendous! It's totally out of our control and > > > >yet > > > > > > > it's > > > > > > > > our > > > > > > > > > own brains making us gradually destroy our teeth. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > No one knows for sure, but I think I clench because my > > > >bite > > > > > is > > > > > > > so > > > > > > > > > awful. I have to wear a splint every night to protect > > > >what's > > > > > > > left > > > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > my teeth and I would so love not to have to do so for the > > > > > rest > > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > my > > > > > > > > > life (which is hopefully another 50 years or so!). But > > > >from > > > > > > what > > > > > > > I > > > > > > > > > understand, the problem can persist after surgery. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2005 Report Share Posted October 14, 2005 you can wear a nightguard/splint that covers all the top teeth while you have braces, but you have to be creative, and it makes the braces take longer. But in the end (for me at least) it insured the stability of the joint while the bite was changing, and that was critical. The braces only went on my top front eight teeth first, and left the molars alone. It took a few months for them to move, and then brackets and bands went on the rest of the teeth. My dentist took my pre-braces splint and carved out the interior around all but the front eight teeth. He relined that front area with acrylic so it would fit more tightly on those 8 teeth, and the carved-out areas allowed my molars to move without interference. I went for regular splint adjustments about once a month. Like the NTI people, I have an open bite, actually 9 mm, and didn't start with one 6 years ago. Through splint therapy, my jaw has receded, but all my previous jaw pain/headaches/clicking/tension are completely GONE and so I'm a big proponent of encouraging that open bite, since it relieved my pain. However, I now have a 9 mm open bite which causes all sorts of other weird issues (chewing, talking for long periods makes me sore, can't close my lips, etc), so I'm having surgery to close it up. I guess that's the long answer to whether you can have a nightguard and braces .... you can, you just have to stagger the process of applying the ortho, and then work the splint around the varying stages of the moving teeth. Best of luck to all, Jen > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi to all other bruxers > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I just want to shout my frustration that wearing away > our > > > > > > > own > > > > > > > > > > teeth at > > > > > > > > > > > night is horrendous! It's totally out of our control > and > > > > > >yet > > > > > > > > > it's > > > > > > > > > > our > > > > > > > > > > > own brains making us gradually destroy our teeth. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > No one knows for sure, but I think I clench because my > > > > > >bite > > > > > > > is > > > > > > > > > so > > > > > > > > > > > awful. I have to wear a splint every night to protect > > > > > >what's > > > > > > > > > left > > > > > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > > my teeth and I would so love not to have to do so for > the > > > > > > > rest > > > > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > my > > > > > > > > > > > life (which is hopefully another 50 years or so!). But > > > > > >from > > > > > > > > what > > > > > > > > > I > > > > > > > > > > > understand, the problem can persist after surgery. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2005 Report Share Posted October 15, 2005 Hi Diane and , I've never had an NTI device but I've heard that they can cause open bites. I've seen discussions about those devices on the TMJ support board. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TMJ-LifeSupport/ Maybe you could find some more info there and find out about other's experiences with them. Good luck with your treatments. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi to all other bruxers > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I just want to shout my frustration that wearing away > our > > > > > > > own > > > > > > > > > > teeth at > > > > > > > > > > > night is horrendous! It's totally out of our control > and > > > > > >yet > > > > > > > > > it's > > > > > > > > > > our > > > > > > > > > > > own brains making us gradually destroy our teeth. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > No one knows for sure, but I think I clench because my > > > > > >bite > > > > > > > is > > > > > > > > > so > > > > > > > > > > > awful. I have to wear a splint every night to protect > > > > > >what's > > > > > > > > > left > > > > > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > > my teeth and I would so love not to have to do so for > the > > > > > > > rest > > > > > > > > > of > > > > > > > > > > my > > > > > > > > > > > life (which is hopefully another 50 years or so!). But > > > > > >from > > > > > > > > what > > > > > > > > > I > > > > > > > > > > > understand, the problem can persist after surgery. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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