Why See a Neuromuscular Dentist?

<h1>Why See a Neuromuscular Dentist?</h1>Author: <a title="Erich Shrefler" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/erich-shrefler/239765.htm">Erich Shrefler</a> If you have ever endured jaw pain for an extended period of time and no physician has been able to correctly diagnose your condition, or free you of pain you should see a neuromuscular dentist. Maybe you suffer from unexplained migraines or neck, back and/or shoulder pain. For some people, the pain can become so debilitating that it can hinder their ability to do their job and complete daily tasks such as: <ul> <li>Chewing</li> <li>Talking</li> <li>Yawning</li> <li>Eating </li> </ul> Because your teeth fit together like puzzle pieces, your bite may be forcing your jaw into a position that is not ideal. This can lead to muscle spasms and inflammation in your temporomandibular joint. Teeth grinding is a common response to these muscle spasms. The grinding action wears down your teeth. While your teeth become shorter, your muscles also continue to shorten. This creates tension in your muscles, along with an increase in the forces on your teeth. The end result is teeth that chip and break. Sound like you? If any of these scenarios sounds like you, you may be suffering from <a href="http://www.drbrianhale.com/tmj.html">temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD)</a>. If you are in fact suffering from this condition, know that you are not alone. Researchers estimate that 40 million Americans suffer from this painful jaw disorder. The first thing you should do is talk to a <a href="http://www.drbrianhale.com/hale_biography.html">neuromuscular dentist</a>. Neuromuscular dentists have the training to detect and correct bite problems and alleviate your painful symptoms. Unlike a general dentist who evaluates and cleans your teeth, bones and gums and diagnoses diseases, a neuromuscular dentist: <ul> <li>Assesses and treats your hard and soft tissues, nerves and muscles that allow your jaw and mouth to operate</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Make sure that your temporomandibular joint, which connects your upper and lower jaws, functions properly</li> <li>Diagnose any joint problems and treat them</li> </ul> Symptoms of TMD When your temporomandibular joint is misaligned, you will probably experience pain during simple movements of your jaw. The symptoms of TMD make it hard to pinpoint the cause even for the most experienced doctors, because many of the symptoms can appear to be the cause of another factor. Because of this, there are countless misdiagnoses of TMD, which prevent sufferers from seeking treatment with a neuromuscular dentist. If you are experiencing any of the below symptoms, you should contact a neuromuscular dentist right away: <ul> <li>Stiffness in your jaw</li> <li>Centralized pain behind your eyes</li> <li>Ringing in the ears or hearing loss</li> <li>Loose and/or painful teeth</li> <li>Tingling in your fingers</li> <li>Persistent and inexplicable neck or shoulder pain</li> <li>Headaches, often severe</li> <li>Insomnia</li> <li>Jaw clicking, locking or popping</li> <li>Unusual stuffiness or earaches</li> </ul> A neuromuscular dentist will work with you to identify the cause of your pain, and develop a treatment plan that will relieve you of pain before more extensive damage is inflicted.About the Author: If you feel you may be suffering from TMD and you live in the San Antonio area and are please consult the website of San Antonio neuromuscular dentist <a href="http://www.drbrianhale.com/">Dr. Brian Hale</a>. Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/dental-care-articles/why-see-a-neuromuscular-dentist-1339931.html" title="Why See a Neuromuscular Dentist?">Why See a Neuromuscular Dentist?</a>

If you have ever endured jaw pain for an extended period of time and no physician has been able to correctly diagnose your condition, or free you of pain you should see a neuromuscular dentist. Maybe you suffer from unexplained migraines or neck, back and/or shoulder pain.

For some people, the pain can become so debilitating that it can hinder their ability to do their job and complete daily tasks such as:

Chewing
Talking
Yawning
Eating

Because your teeth fit together like puzzle pieces, your bite may be forcing your jaw into a position that is not ideal. This can lead to muscle spasms and inflammation in your temporomandibular joint. Teeth grinding is a common response to these muscle spasms. The grinding action wears down your teeth. While your teeth become shorter, your muscles also continue to shorten. This creates tension in your muscles, along with an increase in the forces on your teeth. The end result is teeth that chip and break.

Sound like you?

If any of these scenarios sounds like you, you may be suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD). If you are in fact suffering from this condition, know that you are not alone. Researchers estimate that 40 million Americans suffer from this painful jaw disorder.

The first thing you should do is talk to a neuromuscular dentist. Neuromuscular dentists have the training to detect and correct bite problems and alleviate your painful symptoms.

Unlike a general dentist who evaluates and cleans your teeth, bones and gums and diagnoses diseases, a neuromuscular dentist:

Assesses and treats your hard and soft tissues, nerves and muscles that allow your jaw and mouth to operate

Make sure that your temporomandibular joint, which connects your upper and lower jaws, functions properly
Diagnose any joint problems and treat them

Symptoms of TMD

When your temporomandibular joint is misaligned, you will probably experience pain during simple movements of your jaw. The symptoms of TMD make it hard to pinpoint the cause even for the most experienced doctors, because many of the symptoms can appear to be the cause of another factor. Because of this, there are countless misdiagnoses of TMD, which prevent sufferers from seeking treatment with a neuromuscular dentist.

If you are experiencing any of the below symptoms, you should contact a neuromuscular dentist right away:

Stiffness in your jaw
Centralized pain behind your eyes
Ringing in the ears or hearing loss
Loose and/or painful teeth
Tingling in your fingers
Persistent and inexplicable neck or shoulder pain
Headaches, often severe
Insomnia
Jaw clicking, locking or popping
Unusual stuffiness or earaches

A neuromuscular dentist will work with you to identify the cause of your pain, and develop a treatment plan that will relieve you of pain before more extensive damage is inflicted.

If you feel you may be suffering from TMD and you live in the San Antonio area and are please consult the website of San Antonio neuromuscular dentist Dr. Brian Hale.

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dental-care-articles/why-see-a-neuromuscular-dentist-1339931.html

Related Videos
Related Articles
Ask / Related Q&A

Play

Space Age Dental Scan

Play

How to Prevent Back Pain at Work

Play

Chronic Knee Pain Advice - Fitness and Knee pain

Play

How to Cope with Leg and Back Pain

Play

Wisdom Teeth

Latest Dental Care Articles
More from Erich Shrefler

Stem Cell Research and Tissue Engineering A Boon for Dental Tissue Regeneration

By: Bharat Book Bureau | 19/12/2009
Bharatbook.com added a new report on "Stem Cell Research and Tissue Engineering A Boon for Dental Tissue Regeneration" which gives clinical trial outcomes and commercialization plans.

White Professional Tooth Whitening Review - The Best Tooth Whitener

By: Bob Mason | 19/12/2009
My wife gave me a white professional tooth whitening kit a few weeks ago and all I can say is WOW. This is the best tooth whitening kit there is.

Moms Teeth Whitening Secret Scam? You Betcha

By: Bob Mason | 18/12/2009
There are ads with seemingly limitless budgets advertising a moms teeth whitening secret or trick all over the internet. The only secret is that this Mom is going to make a ton of money...

How Does Neuromuscular Dentistry Treat Jaw Problems?

By: Erich Shrefler | 18/12/2009
The temporomandibular joint is delicate and unique because it is the only joint in the human body that can move in three directions, upwards and downwards, forward and backward and side to side.

Go From Ugly to Awesome With Everbright Smiles Teeth Whitening

By: Fredrick Thompson | 18/12/2009
Teeth whitening products come and go. Some work, most don't. However, Everbright Smiles changes everything. It is making it easy for the everyday average person to whiten their teeth and feel better about them self.

Alta White Teeth Whiteners

By: Imran ali | 18/12/2009
The Idol White Teeth whitener gel is one such product that is said to be a handy tool for people who want to have whiter and better looking set of munchers without the big price tag.

The Oral B 8900 DLX OxyJet Center - ProfessionalCare Power Toothbrush

By: Erik Ortega | 18/12/2009
The Oral B ProfessionalCare 8900 Dlx OxyJet Center toothbrush is a cut above the rest! The Irrigator helps get in between teeth to remove plaque and food particles better then any other toothbrush! Here is my Oral B 8900 Review.

Dental Implants Cost Can Differ From One State to the Other

By: Zahari Ibrahim | 18/12/2009
You can get faculty members at and some dentists listed under the ADA that can easily do implants for much less cost. If you find the high costs of dentists unaffordable, check out some porthodontists at dental colleges with four year degrees who can do restoration work for much less.

Myopia

By: Erich Shrefler | 19/12/2009 | Vision
Your cornea bends light as it enters your eye. A properly shaped cornea focuses that light on the retina. If you are nearsighted your cornea is either too curved or your eye is too long, causing the light to focus in front of the retina. When the light reaches your retina it has started to spread out again and the image is blurry.

Laser Vision Correction

By: Erich Shrefler | 19/12/2009 | Vision
If you dream of freedom from glasses or contact lenses laser vision correction may be the solution for you. LASIK is the most well-known vision correction procedure, but there are several other types of laser vision correction. By reshaping your cornea, your ophthalmologist can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, giving you clear vision without the hassle of corrective lenses.

Astigmatism

By: Erich Shrefler | 19/12/2009 | Vision
If you have blurred vision when looking at objects up close, far away, and in between, it may be astigmatism. Astigmatism causes blurry vision due to an irregularly shaped cornea. Most people have some slight astigmatism but not always enough to cause vision problems.

Dog Bites and Liability

By: Erich Shrefler | 18/12/2009 | Personal Injury
Because of this, it is estimated that around 800,000 people are treated each year for dog bites. Almost 370,000 people will require treatment in an emergency room, which includes stitches, severed fingers or toes, or nerve damage. Some people are killed each year. Many of the victims of dog bites are children.

Birth Control Pills and the Pulmonary Embolism Risk

By: Erich Shrefler | 18/12/2009 | Personal Injury
While most people can develop a blood clot, certain things can make this risk unacceptably high. Women who take birth control pills are at a higher risk level for blood clots, especially if they take birth control and are also a smoker, or over 35, or have a family or personal history of blood clots.

Making Good Results Better: Breast Augmentation Revision Surgery

By: Erich Shrefler | 18/12/2009 | Plastic Surgeries
Some of these reasons for redoing breast augmentation result because the breast surgeon did not properly listen to the woman in a consultation. Other times, the breast surgeon was not fully qualified for the procedure.

What Qualifications to Look for in a Breast Surgeon

By: Erich Shrefler | 18/12/2009 | Plastic Surgeries
If you want to have breast augmentation, you will want to find a breast augmentation specialist who has the proper training and adequate experience. It is important to choose a specialist based on his or her experience and not on the price. The price can be deceiving and may not get you the quality and results you deserve.

How Does Neuromuscular Dentistry Treat Jaw Problems?

By: Erich Shrefler | 18/12/2009 | Dental Care
The temporomandibular joint is delicate and unique because it is the only joint in the human body that can move in three directions, upwards and downwards, forward and backward and side to side.