Question:
Are the OTC devices for bruxism OK, or does one really need to have one
custom made?
Answer:
I was referring to a device sold OTC in drug stores, at least here in
California. It's called "The Doctor's Night Guard", and sells for about $25.
There are directions with it to custom-fit it to your own teeth.
I've seen them. I was tempted to get one
but realized they were nothing more than a "chew
toy", they would not keep me from grinding my
teeth, instead, they'd give me something to grind
my teeth against.
I've had my NTI-TSS for about 16 months now.
I've gone from 2 - 3 major migraines a week to
*two in 16 months*! I'd say I'm a success story!
:) My NTI-TSS cost $200 but I've seen them cost
a lot more.
Here's Dr. Boyd's website...
http://www.nti-tss.com/whatisit.html
The others cost way more than that ........ I guess the drugstores are getting back because so many dentists are peddling
toothpaste and mouthwash! Where will it end? I just got scaling and root planing from my personal trainer, but do not worry he is a
massage therapist too.
They can range in cost from a couple hundred USD to over a thousand. It
generally depends on the amount of support which has to be given with the
appliance, not the appliance itself.
It is not up to Delta to decide if it is a covered benefit. It is up to the
employer. Think of the cafeteria line. Your employer goes down the line
with his/her tray. They have only XY dollars to spend. They take a high
paying cleaning benefit because they think their employees would like that
benefit. They grab a bowl of 75% coverage for fillings, root canal work,
etc. figuring their employees will like that. Most of their employees are
young, so they grab a plate of 50% coverage for replacement of any missing
teeth. Towards the end of the line (think dessert), they come upon implants,
orthodontics, and appliances. Their pick up a little ortho (since their XY
dollars are down to almost nothing). They don't have enough money left to
buy implant coverage. They never heard of their employees talking about
these appliances, so they leave them off, too. Another employer may have
had one of these appliances in the past, so knows what it is and saves a bit
of money for it at the end.
The OTC device will work on a few people. But, these same people would get
success by placing a ball of wax on their tongue. These are the people who
could get by with the ping-pong ball. The OTC device will allow more
efficient clenching, which will *often* set up greater parafunctional
activity and more pain. I had one patient try it and claim to be happy.
But, this person had a change in lifestyle (which greatly reduced stress) at
the same time. I tell my patients to go ahead and try it if they need to
see if they can save money. Like you said, it is only about $25 USD.
Except for this one person, they come back and get the NTI device.
