neuromuscular dentistry
Neuromuscular dentistry deals with the relationship between the teeth, muscles, and jaw joints. When these do not function in harmony, you may experience the following:
- Migraines and Headaches
- TMJ
- Jaw Pain
- Clicking and Popping in the Jaw Joints
- Facial Pain
- Neck and Shoulder Pain
- Ringing in the Ears
- Ear Congestion
- Loose Teeth
- Worn Down Teeth
- Clenching or Grinding Teeth
- Difficulty in Opening your Mouth
- Tingling in the Fingertips
- Postural Problems
By using advanced technology, we are able to diagnose problems with your bite. We will use a combination of tools that include:
- Tomography
- Sonography
- Electromyography
- TENS unit
A tomogram is a special X-Ray that allows us to see a detailed image of your jaw joint. This allows the doctor to monitor your progress before and after treatment.
Sonography, or joint vibration analysis, simply listens for any noise in your jaw joint. It will tell us which jaw joint(s) have noise, and if it occurs when you are opening or closing.
Electromyography measures the stress levels of your muscles. If we determine that your muscles are stressed, we will use a TENS unit to relax them. You will wear the unit for about one hour. During this time, the unit will deliver stimulation to your muscles. When your muscles are fully relaxed, we will again measure the stress levels of the muscles.
When we have determined that you will benefit from neuromuscular therapy, we will take a bite in your relaxed position. We will then make a bite appliance that will allow you to close to your relaxed and stable position. This will allow the muscles to retrain themselves, and give the jaw joint time to heal. Once neuromuscular therapy is complete, we can develop a detailed treatment plan to keep your bite in its new, stable, position.
