Dr. Bob’s Tooth Truth Blog

Words from the mouth, heart and mind of a caring dentist

Archives for March 2009

Migraine Headaches and TMJ Pain Relief With the NTI-tss

nti03nti02The NTI-tss stands for the Nociceptive(perception of things that could be harmful) Trigeminal(the fifth cranial nerve that branches to the eye, upper jaw and lower jaw) Inhibition; t(tension) s(suppression) s(system).  The NTI-tss is a small, virtually invisible mouthpiece that covers only your upper or lower incisor teeth while you sleep.  The NTI-tss is custom fitted by your dentist in about a 30 minute visit.

The NTI-tss is the only dental appliance approved by the FDA for the relief of migraine headaches.  It has a 70% success rate. It also has been used by myself and other dentists to successfully treat TMJ problems.

The key to the NTI-tss is the anterior bite plane (DE=Discluding Element) which sends feedback to your brain even while your asleep that reduces the level of masticatory muscle tension.

It is truly amazing to have a patient come in for a post insertion visit and remark that they had no idea how tense their oral muscles were until they used the apppliance and their muscles finally started to relax.

For a more detailed explanation of the NTI-tss, go to my web site www.drschwan.com or www.headacheprevention.com.  So how do you spell relief?  NTI-tss.

Snoring/Sleep Apnea Alert: Stop Snoring Before It Stops You!

silentnite01Snoring can kill you.  The struggle for breath can result in soaring blood pressure that can cause heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.  30% of the population under 40 snores, while 50% over the age of 60 does.  Sleep Apnea is the direct cause of over 40,000 cardiovascular deaths per year.

So while snoring can be annoying to the significant other,  it can be deadly to the person doing the snoring.  If you snore and have obvious signs of sleep deprivation such as morning headaches, feeling sleepy during the day and your snoring is very irregular, you are well advised to get a professional opinion.

Usually the first step is to be screened by your physician or dentist who will determine whether you should be referred to a sleep diagnosis center.  The sleep center will be able to determine the level of severity of your sleep apnea and recommend an appropriate range of treatment options.

For treatment of low to moderate levels of sleep apnea, I have found the “silent nite” appliance to be the most comfortable and effective.  This has been confirmed on many of our patients who have obtained very good results using the “silent nite” during follow up sleep center studies.

Please don’t risk your health on magic drops or low budget self fitted appliances.  Just like parachutes and life preservers, a properly chosen and fitted appliance based on thorough diagnosis is where you want the best available.

Water, Water Everywhere, So Why Do We Drink Coke?

cokerealthing01cokedecay01Sugar is addictive.  The food industry knows it.  The tobacco industry knows it.  That’s why they add as much sugar as they can to all their products in order to make you crave more and more.  8 full teaspoons of sugar in each and every can of coke.  7 teaspoons of sugar in one cup size serving of pre-sweetened cereals.  There is a popular email that outlines the benefits of pure water verses the scary usefulness of coke as a very effective cleaning solution and rust remover.  Most of the statistics it contains have been confirmed as the truth by www.truthorfiction.com.  First, about WATER:

  • 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (half the world population).
  • In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
  • Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
  • One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
  • Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
  • Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
  • A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
  • Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk  of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Then why aren’t we drinking the right amount of water every day?  Could it be because of sugar-loaded sodas such as COKE?

  • To clean a toilet: pour a can of Coke into the toilet bowl and let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean.  The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
  • To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: rub the bumper with rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coke.
  • To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: pour coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
  • To loosen a rusted bolt: apply a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
  • To remove grease from clothes: empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle.  Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield.
  • FYI The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.  It will dissolve a nail in about four days.  Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to osteoporosis.
  • Trucks carrying the concentrate of Coke must display a “Highly Hazardous Material” sign because it is extremely corrosive.

So do yourself and your family a big favor, drink water and save your Coca-Cola for cleaning and rust removal.  When it comes to cereal, serve unsweetened cereal to your children and have them add their own sugar from the sugar bowl.  I doubt they will even come close to adding as much as the manufacturer does to pre-sweetened cereals.  Unless you’re the tin man, stick to drinking water and save the Coke for rust.


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