Neuromuscular Dentistry Effectively Treats Jaw Misalignment Problems

Neuromuscular dentistry, also called physiologic dentistry, is a specialty of dentistry focusing on jaw alignment. Although concerned with your teeth and gum’s health, Neuromuscular dentistry in Calgary also looks at how your teeth, jaw joints, and facial muscles work when opening and closing your mouth. By considering the positioning of your teeth and how they work to the functions of the joints and muscles, a neuromuscular dentist tries to balance the relationship for patients experiencing chronic discomfort or reduced functionality.

What Issues Does Neuromuscular Dentistry Treat?

A balanced bite has three components. They are the teeth, the muscles, and TMJ joints. If you have a balanced bite, all three elements work efficiently and effectively. However, when one or more of the three components cause misalignment in your jaw, the related problems with your bite leads to jaw pain radiating down the neck and to your shoulders. Neuromuscular dentistry does not merely look at your teeth but looks beyond and views the head, jaw, and neck as a unit. Considering beyond the jaw, neuromuscular dentistry customizes a treatment plan to correct overbites, painful symptoms, unusual tooth wear, and temporomandibular joint disorders. By diagnosing TMJ disorders, the dentist in Calgary, AB, also functions as TMJ specialists in Calgary, AB, to relieve you from a persistent jaw pain you experience helping you lead a better quality of life finding relief from a disorder that you thought was just minor discomfort in your jaw.

What Are the Causes of TMJ Disorders?

The precise reasons for your TMJ disorder are changing to determine. Problems with your bite or even subtle issues like stress on the jaw, injury to the joints, or related muscles can cause TMJ disorders. Genetic reasons also contribute to this problem, especially if you have a family history of:

• Clenching and grinding of the teeth is a problem known as bruxism.
• Arthritis in the jaw joint.
• Stress prompting you to stiffen your facial and jaw muscles or grip your teeth.

Symptoms of TMJ Disorders

If you have a temporomandibular joint disorder, you will likely experience pain and tenderness in your face, jaw joint, neck, and shoulders. In addition, you may hear clicking, popping, and the grating sounds in the judgment when chewing or merely opening and closing your mouth. Persistent headaches and jaw stiffness are also familiar symptoms of TMJ disorders that lessen your quality of life and give you a feeling that your teeth don’t fit together correctly.

How Does Neuromuscular Dentistry Diagnose TMJ Disorders?

When examining patients for problems with their jaw alignment, neuromuscular dentists begin with muscle and jaw palpation. Next, they request you to open and close your mouth and clench your teeth while they feel the various facial muscles’ function and temporomandibular joints. Any pain or tenderness indicates misalignment of overworked muscles. The typical signs of misalignment problems include clicks, pops, catches, locks when moving the jaw. Besides a physical examination, the dentist near me also requests full-face x-rays, CT scans or MRIs to view the position of the jaw and the TMJ joints. They also use sonography waves to determine whether problems with jaw alignment exist by listening to double sounds emanating from the jaw. Other tests include computerized equipment and electromyography to identify misalignment problems and measure muscle and nerve function.

Is There A Treatment Available For TMJ Disorders?

Treatments are available for TMJ disorders from dentists to relieve the discomfort you experience. In some cases, dentists recommend over-the-counter painkillers and muscle relaxants are to relieve pressure from the jaw joints. TMJ disorders are mysterious and can sometimes disappear by themselves in a couple of months. However, if the persistent pain continues without relief, you must consult with a dentist trained in neuromuscular dentistry. Consulting a neuromuscular dentistry specialist helps identify the cause of the flareups and information in the temporomandibular joint and surrounding tendons and muscles. A dental exam and x-rays aren’t sufficient to diagnose TMJ disorders. Neuromuscular dentists perform various tests that help gauge the jaw’s alignment besides electrical activity within the jaw and other issues. Neuromuscular dentistry develops a customized treatment can after a comprehensive diagnosis because it is the key to get a grip on the flareups and help reduce them until they are entirely resolved. Therefore if you experience persistent pain in your jaw indicating a disorder with your temporomandibular joint, consider contacting a neuromuscular dentist near you instead of any medical specialist because these specialists have a better understanding of the functioning of your jaw and the alignment of your teeth.