Neuromuscular dentistry is about much more than improving the appearance of your smile. Advances in the sciences of complete dentistry have taught us how to bring the jaw into a relaxed position to help alleviate years of pain and discomfort.

Neuromuscular dentistry uses the relaxed position of the muscles of the head and neck to place the jaw into an optimal physiologic position. Twenty-five years of research and clinical experience have shown this position to be effective in treating patients with head and neck pain.

Who is affected?

Tempromandibular joint disease (also known as TMD or TMJ) affects 75 million people at any one time. It is a chronic degenerative disease that may take years to develop. People who suffer from TMD have a structural imbalance in their jaw-to-skull relationship, caused by a bad bite. This disease causes the following:

• Alteration of the position of the tempromandibular joint by placing excessive pressure on the joint and tissue around them.

• Twisting the jaw into a strained position. This further affects the muscles in the face, back, neck, and shoulders.

What are the symptoms?

You may be a candidate for neuromuscular dentistry if you experience any of the following symptoms on a regular basis:

• Headaches or migraines
• Unexplained loose teeth
• Worn, chipped or cracked teeth
• Cracking, chipping or breaking dental restorations
• Pain in teeth that seem to move around
• Neck, shoulder, or back pain
• Facial pain
• Clicking or grating sounds in the jaw joints
• Limited movement of locking jaw
• Numbness in your fingers and arms
• Congestion or stuffiness of the ears