Have Headaches or Joint Pain?

Talk to a Neuromuscular Dentist!

by Ruth Gomes, DMD

Your head hurts. Is it stress related, just something you ate, or was it triggered by your co-worker’s too-strong perfume? Whatever the reason, it’s nothing a couple of ibuprofen can’t take care of, right? Not always. Many people have headaches, migraines or jaw pain and simply live with the discomfort¬—from mild to severe—because physicians are often unable to locate a physiological cause.
But it may come as a surprise that the pain can stem from your mouth, not your head, and be caused by a poor or misaligned bite. Dr. Ruth Gomes of VivaSmiles in Clayton says muscles of the temple area and forehead play a key role in opening and closing the jaw.

Gomes has been practicing General Dentistry for over 15 years, and she has post-graduate training in Advanced Cosmetic and Neuromuscular Dentistry at the premier LVI Global. “If the bite is misaligned, it can lead to tension in the temple and forehead muscles which causes poor circulation and leads to headaches,” says Gomes.
Gomes refers to the misalignment of the bite as temporomandibular (jaw joint) disorder, or TMD (also popularly referred as TMJ). “It affects more than 15 percent of American adults and is particularly prevalent among women,” she says.

In addition to frequent headaches, common TMD symptoms include pain in the neck, clicking or popping of the jaw, clenching or grinding, swallowing problems, dizziness, ringing in the ears, tingling of the fingertips, and nervousness or insomnia. “Luckily with our training in neuromuscular dentistry and our exclusive technology, we are able to resolve these problems by adjusting the bite to its optimal functionality,” says Gomes. At VivaSmiles, TMD treatment begins by taking a patient’s history and then performing a physical exam of the teeth, posture, head and neck. “Our immediate concern is to provide relief of your symptoms,” she says.
She accomplishes this by using a technology called TENS. “Basically, TENS is a way to relax your jaw muscles with gentle stimulation. Tests are performed using computerized technology that provides detailed information about the status of your muscles and joints. It records the lower jaw’s movements, and how it closes in relation to the upper jaw,” she explains.

If it is determined that the patient’s bite is the likely cause of the pain, Gomes identifies a new jaw position that leaves the patient’s jaw muscle in a more relaxed state. This is done by fitting the patient with a plastic jaw-repositioning appliance, which looks much like a night guard, except that it is custom designed and fitted using the principles and technology of neuromuscular dentistry. The patient wears the appliance for a short time. “In the majority of cases, our patients see incredible improvements of their TMD symptoms the next day after they start wearing the appliance. The immediate results leave little doubt, even to skeptics, that poor jaw alignment is causing their problems,” she says. So that patients don’t have to rely on the appliance to relieve their symptoms, permanent options may include reshaping the enamel of the teeth; reconstruction, which involves making the teeth higher by using crowns to permanently realign the bite; and moving teeth to optimal position with orthodontic appliances, such as braces or Invisalign.

For more information on neuromuscular dentistry and how it can treat your TMD and headache problems, please give Dr. Gomes a call to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Ruth Gomes is author of this article on Cosmetic Dentistry. Find more information about Smile Makeover here.

Article Source:- Link Building

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated