TMJ Pain & Treatment

NEUROMUSCULAR

Neuromuscular dentistry differs from tradional dentistry in its approach to the head and neck musculature.

The neuromuscular approach, for a client who has relevant symptoms (headache, migraine, clicking jaw, worn-down teeth, facial pain, neck and shoulder pain, tingling finger tips, etc.) is firstly to relax the head and neck musculature, then to stabilise the jaw in this new, muscularly-relaxed position, and finally to allow the teeth to function in this more stable and healthy position.

TMJ

The Temperomandibular Joints (TMJ) are situated just in front of the ears and form the connection between the lower jaw and the skull

Dysfunctional muscles supporting this joint or a problem in the TMJ joints themselves can give rise to headache/migraine, neck/shoulder pain, clicking TMJ joints, tingling of finger tips, back pain, postural problems, dizziness, ringing in ears etc.

In cases of TMJ dysfunction, a complete diagnosis is made with the benefit of muscle scans, joint sonography, computerised jaws scans and MRI. If applicable the neuromuscular treatments are used to treat this distressing condition.

The three steps involve:

1. Muscle relaxation – this is carried out via a process called Tens, which carries a low frequency, rhythmic pulse to the overworked muscles. This relaxes the muscle and jaw system.
2. Stabilisation – once the relaxed postion is found, a plastic orthodontic is worn to maintain the relaxed muscles and to ensure that the original, painful symptons have disappeared.
3. Solution – the long term solution can involve coronoplasty, which is the meticulous adjustment of tooth shape, to allow the jaw to function in its muscularly- relaxed position, Orthodontic or porcelain restorations can secure a healthy, great-looking smile as an added benefit.  Ultimately these stages are closely linked with our stable bite treatments.