TMJ Neuromuscular Relief
What is TMJ / TMD?
One of the most common jaw disorders is related to a problem with the temporomandibular joint, the joint that connects your lower jaw to your skull, and allows your upper and lower jaw to open and close and facilitates chewing and speaking.
People with temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) often have a clicking or popping sound when opening and closing their mouths. Such disorders are often accompanied by frequent headaches, neck aches, and in some cases, tooth sensitivity.
Many suffer from Tempromandibular Joint pain or Tempromandibular Dysfunction. Symptoms include:
- Pain, clicking or poping on opening.
- Inability to open wide or move from side to side comfortably
- Headaches, Migraines
- Neck and shoulder pain.
- Ear pain, hearing loss.
- Ringing in the ears.
- Clenching, night grinding
- Chronic fatigue
- Noise, grating or popping in joint
- Chronic Temporal or occipital headache
What Causes TMJ
In most cases, TMJ disorders stem from a condition called malocclusion, which means having a “bad bite” or accidents and trauma. Malocclusion means that your upper and lower teeth do not close together in the correct way—they are misaligned. This includes underbites and overbites. When the teeth are misaligned, they cannot provide the support the muscles in the face need for chewing and swallowing. This bad bite can also cause the disk, that acts as a "shock absorber" between the bones of the joint, to be displaced and no longer protect the joint. The muscles are then forced into a strained position, resulting in pain throughout the face, head, arms, shoulders, and back. Although a person may have beautiful teeth or had orthodontics to line the teeth up for aesthetic reasons, the muscles and joints may not be comfortable.
Neuromuscular Dentistry can help alleviate symptoms such as headaches, neck and shoulder pain, jaw pain, clicking or popping in the jaw, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). The majority of North Americans suffer from one or more of these symptoms, and unfortunately in many cases these patients’ symptoms are either misdiagnosed or dismissed as having no physiological cause. In a number of cases, these symptoms can actually be attributed to TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome), also referred to as TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder) or MPD (myofascial pain dysfunction). These terms are just different names for the same group of symptoms.
A Neuromuscular Dentist may be able to help you if you are suffering from any of the above symptoms or a number of other symptoms.
How Can TMJ Be Treated
Neuromuscular dentists first measure the most relaxed position of your jaw to determine the goal for normal jaw positioning. Then the dentist works to realign the bite and restore the teeth and thus the jaw and joints to their optimal position. Treatment is often completed in two phases. First phase is the diagnostic phase which consists of realigning the bite and fabricating an orthotic device, such as the one below, that fits over your lower teeth. This inital tharaputic phase could last up to 6 months, the goal is to recover the disk in the correct position and eliminate most if not all of your symptoms. Once the bite is realigned and the jaw is in place, pain that resulted from the imbalance disappears. Phase two consists of permenetly placing you in your optimal bite. This can include orthodontics, prostodontics, occlusal adjustments, long term orthotic or a combination of options and will be discussed by your doctor.
