Mouthpieces helped my son immensely

[Sheila]

Also, I'd just like to clarify about finding a dentist who can work with mouthpiece appliances for tics. Experience and skill no doubt play a role. I don't personally know anything about the Seattle (or California) reference one way or the other. You can always ask the nurse or doctor if there is a patient's family that is willing to talk with you to share their experience.

[zvendal]

I am a total newbie, so a mouth appliance can work to decrease tics in kids WITHOUT TMJ?

 

[Bigal]

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

[TeamTyrion]

Hi Bigal, 

Thank you for the post. How are things going if you don't mind me asking?

My son has been wearing a mouthpiece for 1.5 years now. Can you tell me how long your son wore his mouthpiece before he no longer needed to? Thanks.

 

[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. 

[RSW]

Hi all,

This sounds very encouraging. My son is 9 and has had a shoulder and upper arm tic which comes and goes, but this time has not responded to any of his medications and does not appear to be reducing at all- he has a violent tics almost every 3-4 sec. Could anyone please post a picture of this device so I can get a local dentist to make it for him? We live in India. Thanks a lot and I hope this will wok for him

[Bigal]

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

[nrr]

To bigal- 

Didn't the wearing of the mouthpiece for so long impact his molars or change the shape of his teeth at all, pushing them into the gums? My son only wore one for a year before it did that and he couldn't wear it any more. 

[Bigal]

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. 

[dang]

Hi All,

I am so fortunate to know about this blog, thanks to Sheila Rogers DeMare’s life-changing book I came across 3 weeks ago – “Natural Treatments for Tics and Tourette's: A Patient and Family Guide”.

Could there be any connection of tooth crown with tics? I believe the severity of my son’s tics increased within a month after his operation for five tooth crowns in February 2017, could someone please advise on this or share some material I can read?

Some Background:

My 7.5-year-old boy is diagnosed with tics disorder. At the age of 5, he rolled his eyes which we thought was due to some eye allergy due to change in weather or watching too much of TV.

We gave him some eye drops which settled down the eye rolling. Alter 6 months his eye-rolling appeared again when he was down with a sore throat and fever, we again visited an eye doctor who mentioned this as a tic and gave some eye drops which settled down the eye rolling again.

When he was almost 6 (one month after his operation for tooth crown ) he fell sick again and started with head, hand, shoulder tics. Visiting neurologist, we realised these are motor tics, we were advised to wait and watch and start a reward chart for positive reinforcement. For the next 1 year his tics reduced in frequency and severity but never disappeared. Six months ago, my son was down with fever and sore throat which increased his motor tics significantly and few vocal tics have also started which haven’t settled down till now. Instead, sometimes tics get worse and in the last few weeks, he has developed a speaking difficulty as well which forces him to repeat words and change the tone/pitch of few words in a sentence.

Visiting neurologist again in late August 2018 we are now referred for review to developmental paediatrician with the recommendation of clonidine. We are meeting paediatrician at end of November 2018. Reading side effects of medication, we are not keen to go for clonidine.

Since I started reading the book - “Natural Treatments for Tics and Tourette's: A Patient and Family Guide” we have eliminated sugar and trying to avoid preservatives and artificial colours as well. Yesterday we have started magnesium (berry flavoured chewable tablets - 100g per day) with Epsom salt bath. So far, we believe the situation has improved but can’t see much improvement as this type of wax and wane has happened in past too.

Additionally, in past, he has complained about pain in his head and tummy few (5-7) times in 6 months which used to settle down after few hours as doctors just advised to wait. 

Please note that doctors have ruled out PANDAS but have found a genetic connection of tics.

It would be great if someone on could please review our situation and guide us, we have high hopes from this blog. We live in New Zealand.

Regards,

 

[nikky415]

Can I go to my local dentist and have them make my son a mouthpiece, or do I need to go somewhere special? What would I ask for? A tmj mouthpiece? 

[Bigal]

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

[lulu648]

Does anyone know what happened with the Weill Cornell study on mouthpieces that was being done? 

 

[Bigal]

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