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following successful NTI therapy |
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| This 25 year old male had a long history of headaches, migraine attacks, and occasional jaw pain, in addition to being a heavy bruxer. Many occlusal guards had been delivered, only to be destroyed by the patient. Following a complete TMJ exam to rule out internal derangement/pathology, an NTI device had been attempted, and symptoms resolved. Within several months, the patient's symptoms returned. As the practitioner added acrylic back to the "divoted" Discluding Element, both the practitioner and patient had noticed that an Anterior Open Bite had begun to develop. | ||
| Below: Patient presented with an NTI device and the ability to clench his posterior teeth. | Without the device, he could achieve considerable extreme excursive position. | The patient in CR |
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| Equilibration
was performed, with the therapeutic goals being to eliminate symptoms and
enhance ability to incise. The technique to achieve the desired goals
is to have the patient articulate in a protrusive position, as if attempting
to incise. Mark the occluding (posterior) teeth with articulating
paper and reduce the occluding teeth. This is repeated several times
until the incisal edges of the anterior teeth meet (or get a close as possible)
in the protrusive position. Due to the posterior seating of the condyles
(they have seated more posteriorly/superiorly), the patient will still
have a degree of overjet in CR.
(This can be demonstrated in advance on a set of mounted models) The photos below are following the completion of this technique, requiring no more that 30 mintues (the photo on the right is with the patient in protrusive) |
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| Following this procedure, the patient sent this email: | ||
| ...I began wearing the NTI device in 1999. Prior to that,
I was flunking out of college, audibly grinding to the point where my fiance
and I couldn't fall asleep, endured daily intense tension headaches, and
was at wits end after visiting over 20 different doctors promising me the
world, and delivering nothing but a bill. Given, that my clenching case
is severe, I was disappointed, and thoroughly convinced that the medical
and dental profession had no tangible solutions. That all changed, after
being fitted with my first NTI in 1999. Thereafter, my headache episodes
and intesity reduced, I graduated undergrad, and am now in my second year
of law school at Washington University in St. Louis. I owe much of my success
to the abundant, clear, headache free days, where I am able to focus on
my homework, to the NTI, and I can't thank you enough.
After your kind, and generous time invested in adjusting my teeth and bite on Tuesday, I have achieved a real, full coverage occulsion for the first time. Today, I put my knife and fork down and bit into a pizza, for the first time in a long time! This little accomplishment might not seem like much, but when your choice of food becomes controlled by a bad bite, eating a pizza with good occulsion adds a new level to my favorite food! Regards,
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