Millions of Americans suffer from headaches, shoulder and neck pain, and ringing, stuffy ears. They often live with the pain and discomfort thinking that something as innocuous as stress is the cause, and the only help is a bottle of ibruprophen. However, these symptoms may be the result of a medical condition called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). Your temporomandibular joint has one of the biggest nerves in your body, and when something is wrong with it, you may feel symptoms throughout your upper body.
Over-the-counter medication can temporarily alleviate some of the pain associated with TMD, but the symptoms usually reoccur and can progress to debilitating proportions that alter quality of life. Blurred vision, back pain, anxiety, insomnia and migraine-like headaches can negatively affect the life and livelihood of someone suffering from TMD. However, there is sound treatment available that not only alleviates the symptoms, but corrects the root cause.
Often, when people seek help from their primary care doctor for these symptoms and a host of others associated with TMD, their primary care physician is unable to determine the problem. As a result, patients often hear from their doctor that the problem is stress related. In an attempt to help their patients, doctors may advise them to reduce stress, seek counseling, or even cut their food into smaller portions. However, none of these options will help for long if you suffer from TMD. They may not even be necessary once a diagnosis of TMD is established and a treatment plan is implemented. In other words, it’s all in their head. That’s because only a trained neuromuscular dentist can accurately diagnosis and treat TMD.
Neuromuscular dentistry is a branch of dentistry that looks at how your jaw is aligned, as well as the soft and hard tissues, the muscles and nerves that come into play in this area. A neuromuscular dentist will be able to diagnose if your symptoms are the result of TMD by giving you a thorough examination and using state-of-the-art technology.
State of the Art Treatment Options
Using jaw tracking or a TENS machine, your dentist will be able to record the optimal position of your jaw. Determining how your jaw functions in various positions, such as resting, opening and closing, talking or yawning will determine how your jaw is functioning. Once this is complete and the position recorded, your dentist works with you on developing the best options for treatment. X-rays and sonograms may also be required to determine other malfunctions such as popping and clicking sounds.
Depending on the severity of your condition, your dentist will prescribe a plan of action that works best for you. There are many options available to correct TMD once it’s been properly diagnosed. Orthodontics specializes in the treatment of misaligned bites. Oral surgery may also be necessary.
