Many people suffer from unexplained headaches, pain in their face, jaw, or teeth and seek pain relief from different doctors. A primary cause of this pain results from TMJ disease. You may have heard of other terms that describe this condition such as Temporomanibular Joint Disorder [TMD], Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome [TMJ], or Craniomandibular Dysfunction [CMD].
Symptoms of TMJ disease are:
If you suffer from any of the above listed symptoms, we may be able to help you.
Research shows that the underlying conditions that cause these symptoms can be divided into three components, which oftentimes either go unnoticed or are overlooked. These components are: structural, biochemical and emotional.
The structural component relates to the actual way your jaw opens and closes in relation to the bone structure, bite, and muscle activity. In most cases, people who suffer from TMJ symptoms have a structural imbalance present which stems from a misaligned bite (the way your teeth mesh against each other), which can lead to over-activation of the jaw, head and neck muscles. Over a period of time, this can lead to tension, pain, and spasms, and usually is a major reason why the biochemical and emotional conditions subsequently become a factor as well.
TMJ disease is a chronic illness. It affects 40 million people at any one time. There are many people who have no pain but still have a misaligned bite. People with pain are often told by physicians that the pain is all in their head and offer strong pain medications as the answer.
We can help manage or alleviate TMJ pain by objectively determining a natural, comfortably balanced jaw position, and correcting a misaligned bite. We use different treatment modalities to help accomplish this.