NEW YORK -- Some dentists say severe teeth clenching can turn a tension headache into a debilitating migraine. But there may be a simple way to treat it.

Dr. Marc Liechtung, a New York dentist, said he's developed a special night mouth guard that can help prevent teeth grinding. The mouth guard looks similar to something worn by football players.

"The patient seems to be a lot more relieved. The headaches in the morning, the blurry vision, they seem to be abated," Liechtung said.

However, headache specialist Dr. Larry Newman of Roosevelt Hospital in New York is skeptical.

"I've never seen anyone who has migraine headaches who we could fix a dental problem and their migraines went away," Newman said. "I've seen people with migraines who have associated conditions who do grind their teeth. [But they also] have irritable bowl syndrome, and they have lots of different conditions associated with their migraine. And if you fix their irritable bowl syndrome, they still have migraine."

But Liechtung fires back at Newman.

"I only can disagree in saying that in follow-up visits, in studies, and in cases that I have seen, going 10 or 20 years, whether it's actual relief through muscular alleviation, tension alleviation of the muscles, or even a placebo effect on a patient ... these patients are feeling, and seem to be feeling, a lot better because of [my treatment]," he said.

Allison Pettingall, a patient of Liechtung, doesn't care much about the scientific debate. She says the mouth guard helped her.

"I threw out the aspirin," she said.

So what's a patient supposed to make of this controversy? If you have classic symptoms of ringing in the ears, blurry vision, or morning headaches, a mouth guard may be a good place to start. But if it doesn't work, or you have severe headaches all day long, you may need more aggressive treatment.

The mouth guards range from about $525 to about $850. Most insurance companies do provide some coverage for mouth guards.