TMJ Headache Treatment

Headaches? Joint pain? We can help

TMJ Disorder and Headache Treatment in East San Diego County

TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Disorder can cause severe headaches and interrupt your daily life.

TMJ Disorder refers to problems that occur in the temporomandibular joint – this is the joint that hinges your lower jaw to the temporal bone of your skull. Jaw joint pain, clicking or popping of the joint and headaches are symptoms of a TMJ disorder.

 

Headache relief with computerized neuromuscular dentistry

We utilize a number of sophisticated instruments in our practice of neuromuscular dentistry to find the position of the jaw where the jaws, teeth, and muscles operate in harmony.

The first goal is to find the position of the jaw where the muscles are relaxed and at rest. This is a three dimensional position in space and is often irrespective to the position of the teeth.

We utilize a device called a Myo-Monitor to relax the muscles. This device delivers a mild electrical impulse to the muscles that move the jaw. In addition to relaxing the muscles, it sets up ideal muscle function by increasing blood flow, flushing out toxins. We often find that after 45 minutes of stimulation, the muscles are in their ideal position.

We then utilize the K7 Evaluation system to record this position and transfer it to casts or models of your teeth.

The K7 Evaluation System analyzes the way your jaws move, reads muscle activity levels of your facial and jaw muscles, and identifies noises from your jaw joints.
Full oral examination and consultation

Once we have verified the comfortable position of the lower jaw, we can fabricate an orthotic that allows the jaw to close to this ideal position. In this position, the muscles are at an ideal length and will not go into spasm. Muscles will heal, pain trigger points will go away, and joint capsules will heal. This orthotic is left in place for three months to stabilize the bite and insure that all symptoms are gone.

At this point a decision is made to wear the orthotic indefinitely, have orthodontics done to move the teeth to this ideal position, have one or two arches of teeth restored, or to adjust the bite to this ideal position.

TMJ Treatment | TMJ Disorder & Headache Treatment

Have you been suffering from headaches, facial pain, or jaw pain, but you’re unsure what’s causing it? You may have temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ disorder. A TMJ disorder can occur for a variety of reasons, and the symptoms can range from unpleasant to excruciating.

Fortunately, there are treatments for TMJ disorder that can alleviate symptoms and improve your quality of life, sometimes with as little as a bit of physical therapy and some simple behavioral changes. But first, you’ll need to visit us at Rancho San Diego Dental Group for an assessment.