BOSTON -- Many headache sufferers just grin and bear the pain, but now, there's a tiny tool to prevent the worst kind of headaches, and it's available at the dentist's office.

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Rhonda Mann Reports On Mouthguards RESOURCES More About Mouth Guard Dr. Alan Budd

NewsCenter 5's Rhonda Mann reported that most people pop pills to get headache relief.

"I had extremely painful jaw pain and also tension headaches," Margo Saulnier said.

But Saulnier started popping something new -- a tiny night mouth guard called NTI.

"It's a very small mouth guard worn over the top two teeth mainly at night, and it interrupts the muscle activity that leads to headache pain," Dr. Alan Budd said.

The NTI is much smaller than traditional mouth guards. It is fitted within 20 minutes in a dentist office. The idea is to keep patients from clenching their back teeth, which can be the root of chronic head pain.

In clinical trials, 82 percent of medically diagnosed migraine patients had a 77 percent reduction in migraine episodes within the first eight weeks of use.

"The majority of my patients are feeling better in less than a week. Migraine patients take longer and maybe require wearing an appliance during the daytime for a couple of weeks as well," Budd said.

Headache specialist Dr. Carolyn Bernstein suspects about 20 percent of migraine patients could benefit from the device, although she says probably any mouth guard would work.

"Just about anything can trigger off migraine pain. And if you grind your teeth at night, your jaw is clenched, and there's something to avoid that it may decrease the number of headaches or migraines that you wake up with," Bernstein said.

Saulnier, who had tried other mouth guards, said that this smaller one is more comfortable. Her headaches are less frequent and less severe.

"I would highly recommend it. It was well worth the investment," she said.

The night guards cost about $500 and aren't covered by insurance. But the government said that they can cut headaches at least in some people, and that's something to smile about.