Neuromuscular Dentistry
Neuromuscular Dentistry* is a very unique branch of dentistry that can successfully treat certain people suffering from migraine headaches, temporomandibular disorders (also incorrectly known as “TMJ”), chronic pain, extensive loss of tooth structure, malocclusions (incorrect bites), bruxism (tooth-grinding) and full-mouth reconstruction candidates.
This is not standard dentistry which, all too often, is solely tooth-focused. A neuromuscular approach instead comprehensively examines the muscles of your head, neck and shoulders and their relationship with the position of your jaw and bodily posture. Tools such as a TENS Unit, which electrically stimulates key nerves, and orthotics, which position a bite into a position of physiologic rest, have relieved guests suffering from tinnitus (ringing in the ears), tingling fingers, chronic headaches, muscle pain and clicking jaw joints. In addition, generalized tooth sensitivity to hot and cold, pain to pressure while eating and shortened teeth are good indicators of bruxism, of which Neuromuscular Dentistry can provide great relief.
Many patients ask, “How in the world can neuromuscular dental treatment make my head/ear/fingers feel better?” The answer is quite simple: as our bodies share several similar nerve pathways and our existing bite is compensating for something or our posture is poor, our muscles become hypertonic, meaning they spasm constantly. This spastic state causes our muscles to become devoid of oxygen allowing all sorts of bad things, such as free radicals, to accumulate which, ultimately, is perceived as pain. This pain pathway radiates to other areas of the body over time. If your pain has a neuromuscular dental component to it, finding your jaw’s position of “physiologic rest” alleviates the firing muscle’s hypertonicity and enables it to return to normal thus eliminating the source of pain!
Neuromuscular treatment typically includes fixed or removable orthotics, or custom bite guards, which position and stabilize the jaw at this position of rest. Oftentimes, that is all the treatment a guest may require; other times, once the correct bite is determined, definitive treatment allows both the function and aesthetics of a guest’s mouth to be restored, along with the elimination of symptoms.
*Neuromuscular Dentistry is an involved treatment modality and is rendered on an as-needed basis. Not all symptoms you may be experiencing are caused solely by dental problems. Each case is evaluated individually and, if deemed appropriate, treated conservatively with orthotics, a completely reversible therapy which leaves all oral structures unaltered.
