I
cured my migraine in my sleep...
A new mouthguard is helping dentists
bring relief to patients suffering from migraine.
The Tension Suppression System (TSS) is estimated
to have helped more than 500,000 people around the
world.
Now it is being made available to many in the UK
who are laid low by the agonising headaches. When
fitted over the front teeth, the tiny clear plastic
device prevents grinding and the clenching of facial
muscles which often leads to migraines.
It is not clear how many people suffer from the effects
of grinding teeth in the UK, but dentists estimate
around 6 million. Not all get migraines. However
a significant number of migraine suffers seem to
have their condition aggravated by grinding. The
link has been established for many years but nobody
has devised a way to relieve the pain it causes.
There are tooth-grinding guards, which cover the
whole mouth. But because all the teeth still have
a surface to grind against, some of the tension remains.
The new device is hardly noticeable on the two front
upper teeth. If the mouth closes, it prevents the
back teeth from coming into contact with each other,
so the clenching or grinding is not possible - reducing
the likelihood of a migraine. Researchers have found
that migraine victims clench the temporalis muscles,
which cover the side of the skull, during sleep more
intensely than those who do not experience them.
‘Migraine can be debilitating and once a bad
attack has started it often has to run its course,
although drugs can bring some relief,’ says
Anne Turner director of the Migraine Association. ‘Once
a migraine has been triggered it can be hours, sometimes
days, before a sufferer feels well enough to resume
their normal life’. More women than men are
laid low by such headaches. Nobody is quite sure
why, but neurologists believe hormonal changes might
make women more susceptible.
Californian dentist Jim Boyd invented the mouth guard
after suffering from migraine and jaw problems for
more than 12 years. ‘I was having a wretched
time with headaches and migraines, which normally
came on waking up’ he says. ‘I found
that my jaw was tense in the morning and that I seemed
to have been clenching my teeth during my sleep.
I’ve worn the device for the last 10 years
and no longer get migraines’.
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A trial of the TSS for the American
Food and Drugs Administration found
that 82 per cent of users experienced
a 77 per cent reduction in their
migraine pain, and many reported
being migraine free for months. Those
suffering from teeth pain or migraine
wore the guard at night, although
it can be worn during the day as
well. A number of dentists around
the UK are already beginning to fit
the device.
London dentist Rory Linden
Kelly, of Holford and Partners,
says: ‘The forces generated
by teeth clenching and grinding are
enormous - about 10 lb per square
inch - sometimes more. That’s
equivalent to the force required
to crack a nut with a nutcracker.’ ‘I
don’t think people realise
how much tension they are building
up in their head and other parts
of their body from pressure in the
mouth. ‘It’s an easy
device to fit. It is similar in style
and design to braces and plates worn
by children to correct the teeth.
It comes as a kit from the manufacturers
and I make modifications for the
individual. It can normally be done
in one appointment.
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Recent quote from a Patient:
Sue McGowan from Harrow, Middlesex,
a 50 year-old administrator for a firm
of City traders, had a TSS fitted and
says:
I've had severe migraines for 30 years
and thought I would never be free of
them. But 6 months after using the device
I’ve hardly had any, certainly
not a severe attack.
I’ve tried various migraine pills
over the years. But once the pain had
started I didn’t get much relief.
I just had to go to bed and wait for
it to go away.
I had been grinding my teeth in my sleep
for years but it never occurred to me
that there was a link between that and
migraine.
My husband, Michael, was aware of the
teeth grinding, although I wasn’t,
and I don’t do it during the day.
The migraines were so severe that they
would frequently incapacitate me for
days. I had intense searing pains through
my skull and I had to lie down with my
eyes closed in a darkened room because
the light made the pain worse.
I heard about the device from
Dr Linden Kelly, who is a friend,
although not my dentist. I decided to
give it a try because I had nothing to
lose after three decades of suffering.
It took a few weeks to begin to work,
but now I wouldn’t go a night without
putting it in. When I’ve left it
out I’ve noticed the difference
and the tension in my head and shoulders
comes back.’
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