Types of Pain Neuromuscular Dentistry Treats

Neuromuscular dentistry can not only treat chronic headaches, it can offer relief from other symptoms as well, including:

•Clicking of the jaw •Jaw Pain •Migraine headaches •Neck Pain •Ringing in the ears •Shoulder Pain

These symptoms are things that regular physicians are often unable to treat because they cannot locate a cause. Neuromuscular dentists know the relationship between all of the symptoms and what the underlying cause is likely to be.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD)

Often the symptoms described above have one underlying cause: temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD. This is a disorder of the temporomandibular joint (the joint where the lower jaw is attached to the skull). If you have a bad bite (known as malocclusion) your upper and lower teeth don’t close together correctly when you bite. You may have an overbite or an underbite. Continual use of biting forces when the bite is misaligned causes strain on the muscles involved in chewing and swallowing. This strain is then carried out throughout other muscles causing pain in more and more places including:

•Face •Head •Shoulders •Back •Arms •Hands

Even though it is difficult to believe that all of this pain can be radiating out from one joint it is indeed true. That is why some people suffer through painful symptoms for years. But they no longer need to suffer.

How Neuromuscular Treatment Alleviates Chronic Headaches and Pains

Treatment from a neuromuscular dentist looks at how the jaw joint moves through a variety of diagnostic tools. Then the dentist determines the optimal physiologic position of the jaw. This optimal position is determined through analyzing where the head and neck muscles are most relaxed, and then repositioning the jaw to this location. This is achieved through the use of an orthotic and/or by repositioning teeth into their ideal locations. If you would like to learn more about neuromuscular dentistry, a good resource is Dr. Gordon Chee of Calgary’s website.

If you think that neuromuscular dentistry may be able to help you, contact a neuromuscular dentist today. You don’t need to suffer in silence any longer with your chronic headaches and pain. You can alleviate your pain and start living a pain-free life like you have always wanted!