There are millions of people who suffer needlessly from the pain of TMJ. It is very common for someone experiencing the symptoms of TMJ to visit several doctors in their quest for relief, but many find their physicians cannot identify the origin of their condition, let alone how to treat it. The most common symptoms include:
Numbness in your fingers or arms
Facial pain
Clicking or grating sound in the jaw joints
Limited movement or locking of the jaw
Congestion or stuffiness of the ears
Worn chipping or cracked teeth
Cracking, chipping or breaking dental restorations
Pain or soreness around the jaw joints or ears
Pain in teeth that seem to move around
Unexplained loose teeth
If you find that you are suffering from one or more of these symptoms, we may be able to give you the relief you’ve been seeking!
A gneuromuscular dentist is an expert in interpreting the relationship between the relaxed muscles of the jaw, head and neck to body posture. Thirty years of research and clinical study have determined that gneuromuscular dentistry techniques are successful in eliminating pain at various levels. Whether your symptoms are moderate or severe, a gneuromuscular dentist can use sophisticated equipment and the most modern techniques to manage or alleviate TMJ pain. A gneuromuscular dentist will use TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation) to relax the muscles in your head and neck. The procedure also relieves pain caused by spasms and tension by releasing endorphins, which are your body’s own natural pain killers. Once the natural, balanced position of the jaw is found, actions can be taken to correct the misaligned bite.
Through a combination of TENS and tracking of the jaw, the ideal resting position for the jaw is found, one which is compatible with the relaxed muscles. Electromyography (EMG) is used to evaluate electrical activity in the muscles, and Sonography (ESG) is used to measure joint noises. These instruments have been used for years in various medical specialties, and are now being used in the field of gneuromuscular dentistry to measure the amount of dysfunction of the jaw, which is a major contributor to many headaches. Once the data has been collected and analyzed, it is combines with specialized x-rays to accurately diagnose the problem.
Because TMJ is a chronic, degenerative disease, it can take years to develop. We can now spot the signs of TMJ with these sophisticated techniques and computerized data, helping many individuals who may have suffered for quite some time to find relief.
Frequently Asked Questions about TMJ
Why is it so difficult to accurately diagnose TMJ disorders?
The primary reason is that most dentists are not trained in gneuromuscular TMJ diagnosis and treatment. In addition, many of the symptoms of TMJ overlap with other disorders. Headaches, migraines, jaw pain, neck pain, ear pain and other symptoms may have multiple causes. Only specially trained gneuromuscular dentists are taught to recognize bite problems and connect them with the symptoms being experienced by the patient. Oftentimes, general dentists and family doctors may not realize that TMJ is responsible for these types of symptoms. In some cases, dentists or doctors may identify a bite problem, but are not quite sure how to find its cause.
I’ve been treated for TMJ with a splint before, and it didn’t help. How is this treatment different?
Most splints are constructed to a random position. They are not built to the precise specifications generated by the data collected by a gneuromuscular dentist. When the splint is not built to work with the jaw in the ideal relaxed position, using it will not be effective.
Will I need to have surgery to correct my TMJ?
It is very uncommon for patients to require surgery during gneuromuscular TMJ treatment. Most TMJ surgeries only provide a temporary solution, because the root problem of the biting position of the jaw has not been corrected. Since gneuromuscular treatment focuses on repairing the bite through repositioning of the jaw, surgery is rarely required.
Call us today for a TMJ consultation in our Overland Park dental office.
