Why Use a Pure Power Mouthguard (ppm)?

A PPM gives you the combined benefits of a sports mouthguard for protection, and a neuromuscular dentistry jaw joint treatment for better jaw alignment.

If you have heard about neuromuscular dentistry, you may know about the painful condition called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (abbreviated either TMJ or TMD). Neuromuscular dentists estimate that about 90% of the U.S. population has misaligned jaw joints.

TMD has many symptoms which affect the head, jaw, ears, face, neck, shoulders, and even the fingers. You could have been living with it for years and never realized what it is. We tend to take our jaw joints for granted and use them hundreds or thousands of times each day quite unconsciously. Think of how many times you open and close your mouth for talking, eating, laughing, yawning, etc.

The jaw joint is a ball-and-socket joint, and a delicate one. It can move in three directions, which is more than any other joint in the body:

· Up and down

· Forwards and back

· Sideways

Causes of a Misaligned Jaw Joint

If you are an active sports enthusiast or professional player, you may well have received a sudden impact to the side of the head. You may have dismissed it as minor, but it could well have knocked one or both of your jaw joints out of aligment. There might not have been much immediate pain. But TMD symptoms may well have set in at that point and gradually increased in number and/or severity, without you ever connecting them to that original impact.

TMD causes are not fully understood, but other possible causes are:

· A habit of tooth grinding or jaw clenching (which can also be TMD symptoms)

· An inherited defect in the jaw joints

· Misaligned teeth – that is, a misaligned bite making it impossible for your jaw muscles to relax

How the PPM Works

Your PPM is custom designed for your individual teeth and bite. When you wear it, it gently nudges your jaw into proper alignment. That in turn relaxes the jaw muscles. This is the same process as happens in dental TMD treatments.

A neuromuscular dentist will diagnose TMD using specialized equipment called the K7 Evaluation System. Part of the diagnosis is finding your jaw’s relaxed, correct position. Then the goal of treatment is to make that position permanent.

An orthotic worn at night is often part of TMD dental treatment. It is a device very similar to a PPM, although PPMs are designed to also protect your mouth from sports injuries.

Advantages of Having a Correctly Aligned Jaw Joint

· When the jaw joints are aligned, the jaw muscles are relaxed. That gives you better upper body strength and better balance.

· You can work out more effectively because TMD pain will not be present in the arms, shoulders, or neck.

· Energy is freed up from the chronic discomfort you have lived with.

· Muscle recruitment and vertebrae alignment are improved.

· Without that chronic pain and stress that the misaligned jaw joint caused, the whole body is more relaxed and quicker in its reflexes. Regardless of which sport you engage in, your performance will be better and more satisfying to you.

The first step towards all these advantages is consulting with a qualified neuromuscular dentist who is also certified to provide a PPM.