TMD/Facial Pain/Neuromuscular Dentistry
Modern dentistry is about much more than improving the appearance of a smile. Advances in the science of complete dentistry have taught us how to bring the jaw into a relaxed position to help alleviate years of pain and discomfort. Nueromuscular dentistry uses the relaxed position of the muscles of the head and neck to place the jaw into an optimal physiologic position. Twenty-five years of research and clinical experience have shown this position to be effective in treating patients with head and neck pain.
Who is affected?
Temporomandibular joint disease (also known as TMD or TMJ) affects 75 million people at any one time. It is a chronic degenerative disease that may take years to develop. People who suffer from TMD have a structural imbalance in their jaw-to-skull relationship, caused by a bad bite. This disease causes the folowing:
-Alteration of the position of the temporomandibular joint by placing excessive pressure on the joint and tissues around them.
-Twisting the jaw into a strained position. This further affects the muscles in the face, back, neck, and shoulders.
What are the symptoms?
You may be a candidate for neuromuscular dentisty if you experience any of the following symptoms on a regular basis:
-Headaches or migraines
-Unexplained loose teeth
-Worn, chipped or cracked teeth
-Cracking, chipping or breaking dental restorations
-Pain or soreness around the jaw joints
-Pain in teeth that seem to move around
-Neck, shoulder or back pain
-Facial pain
-Clicking or grating sounds in the jaw joints
-Limited movement or locking jaw
How can you help me?
Following a comprehensive examination, you may be diagnosed with malocclusion. We will then recommend a treamment plan that will correct your bite and alleviate pain and discomfort. To correct this malocclusion we may recommend the use of dental restorations that can precisely raise or lower areas of your bite to create a naturally comfortable position for your jaw. We may also request specialized jaw joint x-rays, called tomographic views, to actually see the position of the jaw in a variety of resting and acting positions. The results of these tests allow us to find the most relaxed position for the jaw to create your best possible bite for comfort and appearance. In most cases this can be done without surgery or braces, and treatment can be completed in a few short weeks.
How will I look following the treatment?
We find that many patients experience a moderate to significant change in thier facial appearance following completion of the treatment. Patients with recessed lower jaws may have a new profile, accenting a stronger jaw line and chin. Areas of the jaw that may have protruded excessively will be pulled back in alignment. In addition, all of the restorations necessary to correct the bite will be created with consideration to the aesthetic result of the smile. Not only will this procedure correct pain, it will give patients the smile they have always dreamed about.