Willow Dental Toronto Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

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Monday, April 25, 2011

TMJ Can be a Headache; Willow Dental Can Help

The painful symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder (also known as TMJ or TMD) can be a headache, both figuratively and literally.

Frequent, nagging headaches are the most common symptom of TMJ, but they are often accompanied by face, neck and shoulder pain; jaw tension; clicking or popping of the jaw; earaches; and difficulty chewing, among other symptoms. If left untreated, TMJ can lead to progressive dental problems.

The good news is that TMJ is treatable. An examination by our neuromuscular dentist at Willow Dental can diagnose the source of your TMJ and provide the foundation for a custom treatment plan to put an end to the chronic pain associated with TMJ.

TMJ is often caused by misaligned teeth or bite and jaw conditions. In some cases, TMJ is treatable by simply correcting long-term bad dental health habits such as teeth grinding, pen chewing or nail biting. However, each individual case is different and treatment will be tailored to your specific needs.

One option is ultra-low frequency transcutaneous electrical neural stimulation (ULF-TENS), which uses mild electrical stimulation to alleviate pain and relax your jaw muscles so your jaw settles into a comfortable—and correct—position.

Some patients may need braces or other orthodontics to retrain the jaw muscles and/or correct a bite condition.

If you live in the Toronto area and are experiencing chronic headaches that have otherwise evaded diagnosis, please contact us at Willow Dental to learn more about neuromuscular dentistry.

posted by Megan P at 1:33 PM