A neuromuscular dentist diagnosis and treats the symptoms and causes of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). A neuromuscular dentist is the only professional qualified to diagnose and treat TMD.
Why Visit A Neuromuscular Dentist?
Author: Erich Shrefler
A neuromuscular dentist diagnosis and treats the symptoms and causes of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). A neuromuscular dentist is the only professional qualified to diagnose and treat TMD.
What is TMD?
TMD is caused by the misalignment of the jaw and the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ). The TMJ is the joint that allows the full range of motion of the jaw and it connects the jaw to the skull. Misalignment of the TMJ causes TMD. Some of the symptoms of TMD are:
Depression and irritability
Face, neck, shoulder, and back pain
Migraine-like headaches
Pain or ringing in the ears
Grinding teeth
Clicking or popping of the jaw
Overly sensitive teeth
Worn or chipped teeth
Locking of the jaw or difficulty opening the jaw
Why visit a Neuromuscular Dentist?
Many of the symptoms of TMD are misdiagnosed by primary care physicians. They may assume the pain is from stress or overworked neck and back muscles. Primary care physicians usually treat these symptoms with pain medications. The pain medications help manage the pain and give temporary relief, but the pain medications do not treat the cause of the pain. The pain will be continuous and you will not feel any real relief if the cause of the pain is not treated.
A neuromuscular dentist is trained and experienced to assess your jaw, your jaw's movement, and the symptoms you are experiencing. This training and experience helps the neuromuscular dentist to pinpoint the location of the cause of the symptoms and to know how to properly treat the cause.
Primary care physicians are not experienced with how the jaws, teeth, and facial muscles function. Understanding how the jaws, teeth, and facial muscles work together is very important in diagnosing and treating TMD. A misaligned jaw or TMJ will cause the facial muscles to work harder causing them to become fatigued. Over worked and fatigued muscles can cause pain the face, neck, shoulder, and back. Over worked muscles may also cause facial wrinkles making the patient look older.
After receiving neuromuscular dentistry, patients noticed that their facial muscles are relaxed and pain-free. Over time, neuromuscular dentistry patients notice that they look and feel younger. Facial wrinkles caused by over worked muscles fade with time and are not permanent. Patients feel like they have more energy because they are not suffering from debilitating pain.
There are non-surgical and surgical treatment options for TMD. The non-surgical treatments include:
Physical jaw therapy
Cold and hot packs
Oral appliances
Surgery is only used to treat severe cases of TMD that are not responsive to the non-surgical treatment options.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dental-care-articles/why-visit-a-neuromuscular-dentist-1944644.html
About the AuthorFor more information about neuromuscular dentistry in the St. Louis, Missouri area, please visit the website of Charles W. Janes, D.D.S.
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