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Neuromuscular Dentistry and TMD Headaches

Serving Chicago and surrounding areas

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) is a condition in which your bite becomes misaligned, causing many serious painful health problems. Sometimes the acronym TMJ will be used interchangeably with TMD, but TMJ actually stands for temporomandibular joint. Neuromuscular dentistry differs from traditional dentistry in that neuromuscular dentists are trained in proper alignment of the jaw in relation to the muscles that control its function.

TMD Symptoms

One of the most painful and debilitating symptoms of TMD is severe headache, often described as a "migraine" headache. TMD causes headaches because the trigeminal nerve is one of the most complex and powerful nerves in the entire human body. This nerve is completely responsible for the temporomandibular joint and tooth functions and accounts for more than 40% of the brain's processing. The trigeminal nerve has three branches, all affecting various parts of the face, head, shoulders and arms. Because of the trigeminal nerve's far-reaching power, the pain and muscle tightness associated with TMD can even affect your hands and fingers.

Pain related to TMD may be sharp and searing or dull and constant. Pain is typically right over the joint immediately in front of the ear but can radiate elsewhere and cause spasms in the muscles attached to the bones of the skull, face and jaw. Some of the most notable symptoms of TMD besides headache are:

• Tooth grinding (bruxism)
• Facial pain and soreness
• Neck soreness and pain
• Clicking and popping noises of the jaw
• Locking of the jaw
• Uneven and excessive tooth wear
• Ear pain
• Stiff, tight or painful jaw muscles

Often times, patients see doctors for their severe headaches and are given medications to treat the pain of the headache; however, there is often no treatment provided for what is actually causing the headache. Neuromuscular dentistry is the specialized area of dentistry that treats the cause, not just the symptoms, of the painful headaches associated with a misaligned jaw.

If you would like to learn more about TMD-related headaches and possible treatment options, please email or call the neuromuscular dentistry professionals at Colonial Dental Group today to schedule your personal consultation.