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(to avoid being lost in a SPAM folder, insert "NTI" as the subject title)
Dr. Boyd had suffered from daily all-day headache, occasional migraine and chronic jaw problems for 12 years. In 1990, he began doing retrospective research on neuromuscular hyperactivity of the head and neck, and identified what appeared to be the answer he was looking for. Rather than his problems being a result of what is typically referred to as the "occlusion" or "bite" (the description of the arrangement of the teeth and how they relate to the opposite arch), Dr. Boyd hypothesized that his symptoms were the result of his occluding, that is, the frequency, duration, and most importantly, the intensity of the contracting musculature responsible for the occluding of his teeth.
Not surprisingly, the nerve system (the trigeminal) that controls the occluding of the teeth is also responsible for chronic headache and migraine. This relationship has now been included in the current hypothesis of migraine disorder. (http://www.MigrainePrevention.com) (continued below)
David Urich, DDS
125 W. Plaza Street
Solana Beach, CA 92075
(858) 350-9977
Due to Dr. Boyd's increasing involvement with The Headache Center of Southern California and continuing medical research with the NTI, he is no longer seeing new patients in a dental office setting.
Dr. Boyd has been working closely with Dr. David Urich over the past several years and refers new patients to Dr. Urich. In addition to Dr. Urich's restorative and cosmetic dental practice, Dr. Urich provides the continuing follow-up care of the NTI patients seen by Dr. Boyd in the neurology clinic.
To make an appointment with Dr. Urich in Solana Beach, California, call (858) 350-9977.
(continued from above)
The remedy was the exploitation of the naturally occurring "wiring" system that matches certain teeth with the muscles that clench the jaw. The more teeth that are in contact, the greater the nerve conduction there is to the jaw-clenching muscles, with the front teeth providing the minimal nerve conduction (and therefore, the least amount of muscle contraction intensity) and the posterior molars providing the maximal neural conduction (thereby allowing for the most intense jaw clenching). Dr. Boyd designed and patented an intraoral device, the NTI (nociceptive trigeminal inhibition) which suppresses the intensity of the chronic contraction of the musculature which either causes or perpetuates trigeminally mediated signs and symptoms. Coincidently, the concept is nothing new to dentistry, in that it provides "incisal guidance", which is the ultimate goal of dental occlusion therapy.
Dr. Boyd founded the Headache Prevention Institute in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1995, and through 1999 exclusively treated patients suffering from chronic tension-type headache, migraine, and jaw disorders. The FDA approved the NTI for marketing to dentists for the prevention of TMJ syndrome in July of 1998. Having served its research and development purpose, HPI closed in March of 1999. In June of 2001, the FDA approved the NTI device for the prevention of medically diagnosed migraine pain.
Dr. Boyd is the past Director of Research and Senior Clinical Instructor at the White Memorial Medical Center Craniofacial/TMD clinic in Los Angeles and is currently practices with Andrew Blumenfeld, MD, (a neurologist specializing in migraine) at The Headache Center, part of the Neurology Center at the Scripps Hospital campus in Encinitas, California and lectures throughout the U.S. and internationally. To inquire or to arrange for Dr. Boyd to make a presentation, email Dr. Boyd at the address above, or fax: (772) 365-7782.
