“All this stress – it’s giving me a headache!” How many times have you heard someone say something similar, or even said such a thing yourself? It’s a common sentiment, and it’s based in reality. Stress can manifest itself in all sorts of physical symptoms.

Work, money, relationships, and just life in general can all cause stress. And stress can cause headaches, joint pain, eyestrain and other problems. But experts suggest that, often times, headaches are not caused by stress. Rather, the headaches are caused by a condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. It’s this condition – referred to as TMJ – which is actually causing the headaches, joint pain and other supposed stress-related conditions. It’s a vicious circle – the TMJ creates the headaches, persistent headaches lead to stress, and the stress then further intensifies the headaches.

“TMJ can cause an unending cycle of pain and stress for the sufferer,” says Dr. Dennis Ikuta, a Reedley, California neuromuscular dentist. “By going to a neuromuscular dentist to treat the symptoms of your TMJ, you can alleviate the pain and stress it may be causing.”

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder: What is it?

Some estimates place TMJ as the third most common health problem in the United States today, yet not many people have actually heard about it. The problem with TMJ is that it is hard to diagnose, and has a myriad of symptoms. Some of the most common ones include headaches, toothaches, blurred vision, tingling in the arms, neck pain, and a clicking sound in the jaw.

So what is TMJ? TMJ is a disorder that arises when the jaw is improperly aligned, and it can cause many different painful symptoms. It can be a genetic condition, or the result of an accident. Regardless, when your jawbones and muscles are “out of whack,” problems can occur throughout your body.

So why, if TMJ is so common, is it so commonly misdiagnosed? The answer is surprising. The experts in TMJ aren’t typically doctors. Rather, the experts are neuromuscular dentists.

Neuromuscular Dentists Know TMJ

Neuromuscular dentists have additional, post-dental-school training at neuromuscular dentistry schools. Aside from learning about veneers, bleaching, and other traditional dental procedures, neuromuscular dentists also learn how to prevent these procedures from affecting the temporomandibular joint, as well as diagnose and treat TMJ and other structural disorders of the neck and jaw.

Diagnosing TMJ requires both expertise and special equipment. A computer model is made of your jaw and bite pattern, which allows your dentist to see exactly what’s wrong. Treatment for TMJ depends on the severity and extent of the individual’s condition. It could involve something as extensive as surgery, or something as simple as custom-made mouth apparatus. Typically, most cases are treated – at least partially – by the TENS system, which uses electrical pulses to eliminate the TMJ pain.

Say Goodbye to Stress

If you suffer from persistent headaches, you owe it to yourself to visit with a neuromuscular dentist. You might be suffering from TMJ. If so, you deserve treatment – treatment for TMJ will relieve the symptoms, and the subsequent stress that is often associated with chronic pain.

Diagnosing and treating TMJ is usually simple – if you know where to look! Often, that means scheduling an appointment with a neuromuscular dentist. They’re the TMJ experts! So if you suffer from unexplained headaches, jaw pain and the like, just remember: it might not be stress, it might be TMJ.