Vertigo

Vertigo, or difficulty with balance, has many causes. The center for balance is in the middle ear, therefore anything that affects the middle ear such as a severe ear infection, sinus infection and other nerve maladies can result in vertigo. If you put your finger in your ear, push forward and open and close your jaw, you can feel the head of the jaw compress into the ear.

One cause for vertigo that is frequently overlooked is clenching or grinding of the teeth. When the jaw muscles contract with enough intensity, it puts pressure on the ear and even the middle of the ear. In my 40 years of practice I have seen this happen, but it seems to be fairly rare. In one instance I was examining a patient with an upper denture and she was having a problem with vertigo. I asked if she was wearing her denture at night and she said no. I knew that without the denture she would probably over close and that can cause the jaw to go further back into the ear. I instructed her to start wearing her denture at night and fortunately for her this solved her problem.

However, even people with a normal set of dentition can have problems of vertigo that relate to the jaw and clenching or grinding can be the main causative factor. The best way to prevent this is to wear a guard or device that prevents the teeth from coming together with such extreme force. There are many guards to treat this problem, some professionally provided and some over-the-counter. The professional device is the better of the two options; however they usually cost hundreds of dollars. Recently a new device called GrindReliefN has come to the market, and is sold online and over-the-counter. It is the only device I have seen that matches or exceeds the performance of the professional device. Unlike virtually all the other devices, it is not simply plastic between the teeth. It has a central power bar that exerts the most force on the upper and lower front teeth at the mid-line. This creates a nerve stimulus that causes the muscles to stop contracting up to 60% or more.

A simple pencil test can demonstrate how this works. Place a pencil between your back teeth and you’ll find you can easily bite into it. Take the same pencil and put it between your upper and lower front teeth at the mid-line, you just can't generate the same force. You can see a lot more about this affordable and effective device at GrindReliefN.com.

GrindReliefN Professional Removal 1

Root Canal Treatments

The most common cause of teeth needing a root canal is due to decay that has gone into the central nerve of the tooth. Of course this can be prevented by the timely removal of decay in the early stages and properly restoring the tooth. I have been practicing dentistry for over 40 years, and over the last few years I have seen increasing incidences of teeth needing root canal therapy when there is no restoration, and not even any decay. Most dentists are becoming aware of another causative factor and that is clenching and grinding of the teeth.

Teeth have the worst circulation of any structure in the body. The artery, vein and nerve that go into the tooth have only one entry which is at the end of the root with an opening that is smaller than the sharp end of a pin. The tooth is not fused to the bone but is on a ligament system. When enough force is applied to the top of the tooth, the root is pushed down into the socket pinching on the nerve and blood vessels at the end of the root, this causes the blood vessels in particular to become inflamed or expanded. This would not be a problem in any other place in the body, as we have vessels from many directions to repair the injury. However, with only one small entry point at the end of the root, when the blood vessels here are inflamed, blood does not circulate in and out of the tooth. If the circulation is impaired long enough, the nerve and blood vessels inside the tooth will die and the tooth will need a root canal.

Extreme bite forces usually from clenching and grinding are the main causative factor here. With the extreme stress most people are under in today's world, I am seeing problems related to clenching and grinding at epidemic proportions.

In my opinion, the best way to prevent these problems is to wear a device that helps prevent the teeth from coming together with such extreme force. While there are many devices to help treat this problem, the most effective and affordable device I have seen is GrindReliefN. It is smaller and easier to wear. It has a central power bar which helps exert the most force at the mid-line on the upper and lower front teeth. This creates a nerve stimulus which affects the muscles, causing them to contract with 60% less force.

Sold online and now in some retail outlets; it is the only over the counter device that performs as well, or better than the professional device costing hundreds of dollars. You can feel how it actually works with a simple pencil test. Place a pencil between your back teeth and bite down.  You'll find you can easily bite through the pencil. Now place the same pencil between your upper and lower front teeth at the mid-line and you will find you simply cannot exert nearly as much force.

If you want to avoid root canal therapy and other maladies caused from clenching and grinding, then GrindReliefN is the right device for you. To learn more, visit GrindReliefN.com.

Tooth Fracturing

There are many reasons or causes for teeth to fracture. Typically, most people think teeth fracture because of chewing on something too hard or hitting an object you didn't know was there. I have been practicing dentistry for over 40 years and I'm seeing more and more tooth fractures. Many times people will tell me that they were chewing on bread or mashed potatoes and the tooth fragment came out. Actually what has happened is the tooth was fractured from something previous, and the soft food removes the tooth fragments.

My experience has been that the vast majorities of people clench or grind their teeth, but many don’t realize that they do. Clenching or grinding mostly occurs at night but sometimes occurs during the day under extreme stress. These forces can be extreme, and when combined with a tooth that is heavily filled, it is not uncommon to see a tooth fracture.

 Lately I have seen a lot of teeth that are what we call virgin -- no decay or filling -- and yet there is a fracture. In most cases it is a corner or wall of the tooth that fractures above the gum line, sometimes the fracture extends below the gum line going down into the root. When this occurs there is no option but to remove the tooth. Removing and restoring teeth can help prevent the fractures; also replacing large fillings with a crown which covers the outside can help prevent the fractures above the gum line. If enough force is produced, even with an excellent fitting crown, fracture down into the root is possible.

I have found the best way to prevent some of these fractures is to wear a device -- a protective guard that helps prevent the teeth from coming together with extreme force. While there are many devices available over-the-counter and from your dentist, most of them are just plastic worn between the teeth that don't do anything to stop the extreme muscle activity, and that is the problem.

The professional devices can cost $500 - $700 or more. While over-the-counter devices are much less expensive, they are also inadequate and they wear out easily, and do nothing to stop the activity that causes the problem.

Recently a new device has come to market called GrindReliefN. It is available online and at select retail locations for a reasonable cost. This device is smaller, covering only the front 6 to 8 teeth and can be worn on the upper or lower front teeth. It has a central bar which, when the patient bites down, it directs the most force between the upper and lower front teeth at the mid-line. This creates a nerve stimulus that stops the muscle clenching, reducing it by 60% or more.

The GrindReliefN is the only over-the-counter device that meets or exceeds the performance of the professional appliances at a fraction of the cost. Over my 40 years of practicing dentistry I have made many devices for the treatment of clenching and grinding. By a wide margin, the GrindReliefN is the most effective, wearable and successful device I have ever made.

A simple pencil test can demonstrate how the device works. If you take a pencil and put it between your back teeth and bite down, you can generate a tremendous amount of force. However, if you take the same pencil, put it between your upper and lower front teeth at the mid-line and bite down, you'll see you cannot come near generating the same amount of force. The device is intended to be worn at night but, under extreme stress, it can be helpful during the day also. If you want to avoid tooth fractures and the pain and cost associated with them, GrindReliefN is the solution.

Ear Pain Related to Clenching and Grinding

Ear Pain Related to Clenching and Grinding

Of course there are many causes for ear pain, they can vary from ear wax buildup, outer ear infection, middle ear infection; a foreign body in the ear, sinus problems, or even a sore throat can refer pain to the ear. One cause that is frequently overlooked is the impact of clenching or grinding of the teeth.

The head of the mandible or jaw has a joint just directly in front of the ear. If you put your finger in your ear and press forward, open and close your jaw, you'll be able to feel the jaw bone come into contact with the ear. This joint is called the Temporal Mandibular Joint or T.M.J. Many people lump jaw problems with this T.M.J. solution. To be clear, everyone has two T.M.J.s, you do not need to have pathology of the temporal mandibular joint to have problems with clenching and grinding or referred pain into the ear.

As a practicing dentist for over 40 years I'm convinced that the vast majority of people clench or grind their teeth and not all of them have T.M.J. problems, rather today's stressful world and media scrutiny cause people to have more stress, and as a result they will clench or grind. The intense muscle activity forces the jaw backward and upward directly against the ear, this pressure can cause ear pain that can occur bilaterally, but usually a person will notice it in one ear.

One patient who was a former employee of mine had been to her Ear, Nose and Throat specialist 10 times, he finally told her “Carolyn you don't have an ear infection, why don’t you see your dentist?” She came to me and I made her an appliance to help treat the clenching and grinding; and her ear pain disappeared.

I have practiced dentistry for many decades, and I'm not just a dentist, but also a patient that suffers from clenching and grinding. Over the last several years I have developed a product called GrindReliefN. This product is smaller than the typical Horseshoe devices; it covers only the first 6 to 8 front teeth, it has a central bar which causes forced concentration on the upper and lower mid-line. This creates a nerve stimulus, somewhat of a biofeedback that reduces the clenching and grinding by lowering the muscle activity 70% or more. It is the most wearable, effective and durable device I have ever seen to treat the problems of clenching and grinding.

More information on this unique device can be seen at GrindReliefN.com. There is also a link to a video on Fox 2 News that gives a lot more information on the product.