Jaw pain treatment
When the muscles in your jaw are aligned properly, your jaw is able to function and rest comfortably. However, when the nerves and muscles of your jaw are misaligned, your jaw may develop a temporomandibular joint dysfunction.
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, commonly referred to as TMJ disorder, is a chronic illness that affects people with a structural imbalance in their jaw.
HOW TO RELIEF DISCOMFORT ?
This discomfort can be relieved through neuromuscular treatment. If the natural position of your jaw is causing discomfort, neuromuscular dentistry can treat the muscles of your face, mouth, and jaw and place the jaw in an optimal physiologic position.
We use state of the art computer technology to find optimal position for your jaw. This is determined by observing the movements of your jaw as well as the rest position of your jaw. Once the optimal position of your jaw is identified, appliance therapy is used to reduce and eventually eliminate the symptoms of TMJ disorder.
If you are concerned about soreness or any other irritating symptoms of TMJ disorder, you should consult a dentist. Contact us for an evaluation to see if you are a good candidate for neuromuscular treatment.
How the muscles are relaxed
Because the muscles controlling the jaw are subconsciously “programmed” by the brain, most individuals have difficulty consciously reaching a truly relaxed state. To help your muscles reach that relaxed state, a device called Myomonitor is used to deliver gentle electrical stimulation to your muscles. The Myomonitor is a battery operated electrical muscle stimulator. Mild electrical stimulation is delivered through adhesive patch electrodes attached over nerves that control specific facial muscle groups. The virtually painless stimulus delivered by the Myomonitor will cause your facial and jaw muscles to twitch or pulse once every one and one half seconds. After about 40-60 minutes, this electrically induced “exercise” will allow your muscles to overcome their programming and go to a relaxed state.
Is neuromuscular treatment for you?
There are always options to consider when you are choosing dental treatment. After initially evaluating your situation, we will discuss those options with you. TMD becomes one of your options when/if you are contemplating aesthetic or cosmetic, reconstructive, or orthodontic dental procedures.
Additionally, TMD techniques are used to treat patients that suffer from TMJ-like symptoms and to aid in establishing the occlusion for dentures. It is in these cases that establishing the optimal occlusion becomes so important. This is when choosing neuromuscular techniques may have a substantial and positive impact on the outcome of treatment. The relaxed jaw position gives the dentist added insight that may allow for a faster completion and improve final treatment results.
Feel free to discuss these options further with Dr. Soulières to determine if Neuromuscular Dentistry is right for you.
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