Bigal

No, but I can say with confidence that they helped my son

Unfortunately not. There are just a few dentists that are known for doing this: Dr demersian, Ca Dr stack/brown, VA Dr. Sims, Md dr sims was the one who really helped my son. That said, there was a local dentist who called Dr Sims to find out how to help. That local dentist did learn enough to help us. So you may be able to find a local dentist or orthodontist that would want to learn and help. Google Dr. Stack and Tourette’s to see videos about this. Alan

I was definitely concerned that it would impact his molars. Specifically I was concerned that they wouldn’t touch. That didn’t happen. He did end up with space between his front top two teeth. But it went away. When he was about 13 his tics stopped. The dentists said that it was because his teeth grew into the desired position because of the mouthpieces. I used to accept that. But now I suspect that the neurotherapy was responsible. But I do know that for years the mouthpieces kept his tic in check.

Hi rsw This link shows some pictures. My son had several. They were not all the same. I'd contact Dr. Anthony Sims in Columbia, MD ( (410) 872-0872) He really helped my son. I'd contact him for advice. You can can also try Dr. Jeffrey Brown (703) 821 1103. He bought Dr. Stacks practice. Dr Stack, as I understand it, developed the treatment. FWIW, I think that neurotherapy also helped my son. I really don't understand anything about what they did. But this is the place. http://bandcenterllc.com/ Best wishes Bigal

Hi TT My son wore mouthpieces for 3-4 years. I think the timing though is more important than the length. He was about 14 when we realized that he no longer needed the mouthpieces. According to the local orthodontist, his jaw grew into the position that the mouthpieces were guiding it towards. Dr Sims confirmed that that happens sometimes. FWIW, my son (now 15.5 is still growing) and I hope his jaw doesn't shift. But the local orthodontist says his face is not likely to grow anymore. How old is your son? Have the mouthpieces helped much? Are you using one of the well known doctors? I should add though, that not long before we realized that my son didn't need the mouthpieces he had also been doing Neurofeedback. At the time, we thought it was perhaps making matters worse. For one thing, my son could not stop cracking his knuckles. We eventually gave up thinking that it didn't help. And my son recently said that it didn't. But looking back, I wonder. In regard to the Neurofeedback I should add that center that we used had many different treatments under the neurofeedback umbrella. I'm not even sure that they were all in fact neurofeedback. The treatment administered by Dr Davis at The BAND Center in Hadley, MA.

Hi Zvendal I don't think that having a TMJ issue is a prerequisite for mouthpieces being an effect treatment. That said, my son did have a mild TMJ issue and we were completely unaware of it. When he saw a TMJ doctor the doctor put his hands on my son's jaw and when my son opened and closed his jaw there was an audible click. I'm not sure that qualifies as a TMJ issue. But if so, we were unaware of it. Maybe your child does have a TMJ issue and you don't know. But I don't know that it matters. Bigal

Hi Lulu No, my son did not have an MRI. Dr. Sims did not think it was necessary. I don't think he prescribes it at all. I'm also not sure that you need to have a TMJ issue for this treatment to be effective. Best of luck with the doctor in Seattle. Again, from what I understand this treatment has helped my people. And I can say for certain that is helped my son. Feel free to get ask any more questions.

Hi Lulu Yes, my son is still asymptomatic. It's been about six months since he's worn a mouthpiece. Honestly, I didn't expect he would be able to get rid of the mouthpiece. At least this young. Dr. Gary Dimerjian is the doctor in CA who does this. Also, for expenses, I think the MD doctor may be more affordable than the VA doctor. For one thing, he doesn't require an MRI.

Hi NRR I'd recommend finding a local ortho that you can use for a "reality check" on what you are doing. Our family dentist recommended a local ortho that he new was intelligent, inquisitive and interested in learning something new. This ortho spent time reading about this treatment and spent time on the phone with the VA doctor and the MD Doctor. As mentioned, the MD Doctor made my son an upper mouthpiece that helped him so much. But that upper was expandable and we were told to expand it half a turn every week. We did this for a couple of months. The expnansion with each turn was imperceptible. But the local ortho had us stop because it was making spaces between his teeth. If not for the local ortho we would have gone on too long. I also had concerns about how his mouth would end up. I was told that eventually his molars would not meet and he'd need braces to correct that. And how can you eat if your molars don't meet? Well the last time we saw the MD Doctor he was pleased to announce that my sons molars didn't meet. He thought that was a good thing. I wasn't pleased to hear that. If he now had to wear braces, then he couldn't wear the mouthpieces. But we haven't gotten him braces and he eats just fine. Our local ortho says he doesn't need braces. All is good, at least now. I'm knocking on wood as I write this. FWIW, the VA and MD doctors suggested an alph. Our local ortho didn't buy into it. We haven't gotten it. Again, my son is now asymptomatic, happy and healthy. Honestly, I feel like I'm jinxing it every time I say that. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. I'd be glad to help. Although I didn't get Sheila's PM, so if I don't reply, post on here again.

Hi Sheila I did not get your PM.

My son is now 14 1/2. We started seeing eye tics when he was about 6 or 7. He was originally diagnosed with TS. That was later changed to CMTD, along with something else that they couldn't diagnose. The CMTD was getting worse as he got older. The other issue caused absolutely horrible tics starting at about the age of 11. His head would tic uncontrollably (like a baseball card in bicycle spokes ) for 45 minutes at a time. Along the way, we tried many things. This included dietary changes, fish oil, pharmaceuticals, magnesium, and essential oils. We also tried cranial sacral therapy and Brain Balance (didn't helped tics, but helped school). He got his first dental appliance about three years ago. He has had several since then. He lost one. He broke one. One broke due to his growth. I also had to dig through the trash a couple of times. After the first one broke, the doctor suggested that it was time to use braces instead. That was a terrible mistake. About six weeks after we put the braces on, the horrible head tics started. We drove down to VA to see Doctor Stack. He wasn't able to help. But Dr. Sims in Baltimore made an upper mouthpiece in addition to the lower mouthpiece. That worked. We saw a modest immediate improvement. Within three weeks the tics (and urges to tic) were practically all gone. Last summer, he started to get urges for the horrendous head tics that I described above. He could suppress them, but would get terrible headaches when he did. The urges would happen whenever he would exert himself, physically or mentally. We drove south again to see Dr. Sims. He showed us how the mouthpiece no longer fit. He made some adjustments. Sure enough, after about three weeks the urges were gone. This April, my son lost one of the mouthpieces. I wanted to take him to see Dr. Sims during the school break. But he didn't want to go. He pointed out that he'd barely been wearing them the last month or so. He said that he didn't need them anymore. So we didn't go. Instead, we went to see our local Ortho who'd been assisting with all of this. He told us that my son's jaw seems to have grown into the position that the mouthpiece was guiding it to. So that for the moment he didn't seem to need a mouthpiece. Dr. Sims said that made sense and that he might not need one at all now since his jaw is nearly done growing. Since April, he's been completely asymptomatic. The urges and tics might come back. But then again, they might not. I would implore all of you to research this approach. I remember reading (I think on this board) that this approach only helps people with TMJ issues. That may be so. But if my son had TMJ issues we were completely unaware of them, Two of the doctors that I've worked with on this spoke of success rates well over 50%. I believe them, I've corresponded with other parents who helped their children this way. I'd be glad to respond to any questions.

Hi Hopeful His tics were reduced by about 80%-90% before it broke. I could easily go a week without seeing any tics. I think the more that you wear it, the more effective it is. But the effects do stick around some. So it's not like eyeglasses. He hasn't had OCD or attention issues. I was trying to figure out how to private message you to give you my phone number. I'd be happy to talk on the phone if you wished. But I couldn't figure out how to PM you. Alan

Hi Stillhopeful Honestly, it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride lately. About 3 months ago, his mouthpiece broke. It broke because his jaw grew. The TMJ doctor suggested that we now get braces instead. He said, if done correctly, they'll serve the same purpose as the mouthpiece. Well after about 6 week with braces, the tics came back strong. Braces were not appropriate at that point. Apparently, because his jaw issues had not been corrected. About three weeks ago, he got two mouthpieces from Dr. Sims in Baltimore, an upper and a lower. He's wearing them both and his tics seem to be improving. But it's hard to draw any definitive conclusions. It should be noted that we recently took him to see Dr. King at the Yale Center for tics and OCD. We were informed that Wyatt did not actually have Tourette's. They changed the diagnosis to Chronic Motor Tic Syndrome. They did this because his phonic tics are rare and extremely mild. In fact, they might not even be tics at all. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Mathmom, thank you very much for that input. I knew much of that, but not completely. The ortho that I am using has consulted with Dr. Stack. So I hope that he knows what he is doing. As of right now, Wyatt's tics are as bad as they've been in a long time. The ortho said that he would call Dr. Stack tomorrow. I copied your response and emailed it to the ortho. Thanks again Alan

As mentioned above, braces could potentially help some people with Tourette's. I think it is most likely to help those with an overbite. My son, who is now 12 1/2 got braces about 6 weeks ago. This is after wearing a mouth appliance based on the style that Dr. Stack made. He wore the appliance for about ten months and his tics became much less frequent. My son and I were delighted with the improvement. The dentist explained from the start though that ultimately we would need to get him braces to permanently correct his overbite. About two months ago, the appliance broke for the second time. The dentist said he couldn't fix it because it broke because of changes in my son's mouth. We could either get another of just get braces. So now we have braces, with elastics. I'd say that until about 5 days ago, the reduction in tics was maintained. But they have started to come back now. Nothing terrible, but enough to be worrisome. So from what I know about all this, it appears that correcting an overbite can help tics. It did help my son. But I'm not sure if braces are as effective as the appliance for tics. I would think that it should be, but that hasn't been my experience so far.