Neuromuscular Dentistry
If you suffer from constant or frequent headaches you aren’t alone. Over 45 million people, nearly 20 percent of all persons in the US suffer from chronic headaches. Most attribute it to stress. Most are wrong. Most likely headaches are actually caused by an unbalanced bite which contributes to muscle tension and pain in the muscles of the face, head, neck and shoulders. Many of these headaches and related pain can be treated through the science of neuromuscular dentistry.
What is Neuromuscular Dentistry?
Neuromuscular dentistry is the scientific discipline used to diagnose and treat malocclusion (bad bite or jaw misalignment) through the non-surgical repositioning of the jaw, alleviating years of pain and discomfort while enhancing the appearance of the smile. Traditional dentistry operates under the assumption that your jaw’s acquired position is its optimum position. Neuromuscular dentistry, on the other hand is focused on finding the ideal position or range of positions for ideal health. This optimum position for your jaw is the basis for future treatment.
Our goal is not just to treat a single tooth to solve the problem. Instead, we examine the entire neuromuscular and anatomical system of the head and neck in order to treat the whole patient, alleviating pain throughout the mouth and body.
The way the teeth come together (bite) in large part determines the way the head and neck are positioned in affects posture throughout the body. As one of my mentors, Dr. Ira Shapira states, “the lower jaw acts like a counter balance for the skull as it sits atop of the spine much like the weights that are used in a doctors scale. You set the 50 and the 10 pound weights and the when you get the 1 pound weight perfectly adjusted the scale rests perfectly centered. If you move that weight even slightly in either direction the scale does not go slightly out of balance but rather it goes clunk. That is the effect disruptions in jaw function has on the entire body’s postural balance. I tell my patients, You’ve been clunked.”
Neuromuscular Dentistry Diagnosis
In addition to X-rays or digital radiographs that reveal the position and condition of the jaw joints, neuromuscular dentists use several diagnostic technologies in order to determine the ideal position of your jaw to relieve TMD symptoms. These technologies include:
- Computerized equipment to record the resting position of a person’s jaw, how it closes and any other movements
- Electromyography (EMG) to measure the stressed and relaxed positions of a person’s jaw muscles, as well as identify any structural defects in the jaw joint
- Sonography, and/or Joint Vibration Analysis to record jaw joint sounds and determine the presence of abnormalities
Treatment
Malocclusion is relatively easy to correct. Treatment options include adjusting the bite, orthotics, orthodontics, or restoring the teeth to their correct positions.
Benefits
Patients of neuromuscular dentistry experience a range of benefits from decreased or eliminated pain and discomfort to better overall health and longer-lasting dental restorations.
For more information about Neuromuscular Dentistry visit Wikipedia’s Neuromuscular Dentistry page
Click here for more information on TMJ/TMD disorders
If you demonstrate any symptoms of TMJ and TMD disorder, you should immediately contact neuromuscular dentist, Dr. Charles Flume in West Salem, WI. Email us or call 608-786-0909 for a TMD treatment or TMJ treatment consultation.
