Anti-Migraine Mouthpiece
N E W Y O R K, Sept. 5, 2001 -- A tiny mouthpiece that hugs the two front teeth may bring relief to the 40 million Americans who suffer from migraine and tension headaches.
The Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibition Tension Suppression System, an acrylic mini-splint that fits over the teeth, reduces the intensity of jaw-clenching during sleep, and the headache pain that comes along with it, its inventor says.
Dr. James Boyd, the dentist who invented the device, told Good Morning America that he suffered from headaches for years before he started wearing it.
Boyd said patients typically get relief from tension headaches within the first week, but with migraines it may take a few weeks. In a clinical trial on patients who averaged two migraines a month, 82 percent of the patients reported a 77 percent average reduction in their migraine frequency, Boyd said.
Migraine sufferer Ivy Mansky told Good Morning America that before she got the mouthpiece she had migraines several times a month that were so bad that she had to shut the world out.
"It took me three nights to get used to it," Mansky said. "In the six months I've been wearing it, I've gone from two to three migraines a month to one migraine in six months, which has been incredible."
Boyd originally developed the device to treat temporomandibular joint disease, a painful condition affecting the area where the lower jaw connects to the sides of the skull. His TMJ patients told him that they stopped taking their antimigraine medication because their headache pain was greatly reduced.
Critics of the device say dentists should not be treating headaches, and Boyd says people should rule out serious medical possibilities with their doctor before turning to the device.
Boyd said there is a simple test that tells you whether your headaches are from intense jaw-clenching. If certain spots on the forehead, temples and back of the skull feel very tender when pressure is applied, the patient is likely clenching his jaw at night.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the new device as a headache treatment this summer. It costs about $450 and it can be fitted in one dentist visit.
