Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley CA
Nothing can impact your life like living with chronic pain. It can negatively affect your ability to work and go about your daily routine. Pain can hinder your relationships with friends, family and coworkers. and even hinder your ability to rest. Temporomandibular disorder has symptoms that can vary widely from person to person but many individuals who suffer from this disorder experience pain that can be serious or even debilitating. Now for the good news… if you undergo treatment for your TMJ disorder from a trained neuromuscular dentist, it can change your life for the better. We explore this topic in greater detail, today on the blog.
TMJ disorder is more common than you might think
The Cleveland Clinic estimates that anywhere from 5-12% of the American adult population suffers from TMJ disorder. Unfortunately, these can only be estimated because a significant percentage of all cases of TMJ disorder never get diagnosed. These undiagnosed individuals live with TMJ disorder and any of the assorted consequences that the ailment creates without ever finding relief.
Learn about the potential impacts of untreated TMJ disorder
Your temporomandibular joint connects your jaw to your skull on either side. When that joint starts to malfunction, it usually affects the jaws first, but the effects can spread—first impacting the surrounding musculature and eventually radiating to various locations in the body.
Potential consequences include:
- Tension and pain in the neck and shoulders, especially at night or first thing in the morning;
- Tooth pain, which can migrate to different locations in the mouth with no apparent rhyme or reason; or
- Painful headaches, which occur regularly and with such severity that they often can be misidentified as migraines.
Living with the pain that TMJ disorder can cause may negatively affect your mental function, and even your immune system if your pain is making it difficult to get quality sleep on a nightly basis. TMJ disorder also can cause bruxism—the clinical term for tooth grinding—wearing down your teeth and eventually the very structure of your teeth themselves.
Neuromuscular dentistry in Los Gatos, Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley in California
Neuromuscular dentistry is a specialized area of dental science that focuses upon the alignment of your bite and jaw. The principles and techniques of neuromuscular dentistry are only taught on a postgraduate level following the completion of standard dental school, and the curriculum is extremely rigorous. The unique training and education that a neuromuscular dentist possesses makes them the ideal medical professional to diagnose a case of TMJ disorder.
Once a case of TMJ disorder is identified, Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry can provide treatment, which usually consists of a course of oral appliance therapy. This involves wearing a custom-made mandibular advancement device. When worn, this oral appliance uses gentle pressure to guide forward the lower jaw into its optimum position, also relieving any stress being placed on the temporomandibular joint. By eliminating this stress, it resolves any TMJ disorder and any of the problems that come with it, including chronic pain.
You do not have to live with the chronic pain that can result from untreated TMJ disorder. Make an appointment at Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry today. Just call (831) 438-4411 or contact us online.
