Neuromuscular Dentistry Summarized
Neuromuscular Dentistry (NMD) is a way of achieving health and beauty through modern dentistry. NMD can bring back your confidence to smile.
The following are eight key areas involved in the treatment, diagnosis and discovery of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
Click a link or scroll to find out more about each area.
- Total Oral Balance
- An Unbalanced Bite
- The Proper Resting Jaw
- TMD Symptoms
- "Muscle Versus Tooth War"
- Uneven Bite/Bad Posture
- Scientific Insight
- NMD Data Collection
Total Oral Balance:
Proper health and function depends on the balance of your jaw joints, jaw muscles and teeth.
Causes of an unbalanced bite:
- Unbalanced dental treatment
- Breathing or allergy issues during child development
- Thumb sucking or other unhealthy oral habits
- Old dentistry that has broken down or worn out
- The shifting of teeth after tooth loss
- Some types of orthodontic treatment
The Proper Resting Jaw
Teeth must come together to allow jaw muscles to rest. If they come together in an unbalanced position, the muscles and jaw joints are affected. Causing…
- Headaches
- Neck aches
- Jaw Joint Pain
- Facial Pain
- Sensitive Teeth
- Ear Problems
- Nervousness or Insomnia
- Tooth wear and clenching
- Postural issues
Temporo-Mandibular Disorder (TMD) Symptoms
Jaw Joints
- TMJ Pain
- TMJ Noise
- Limited Opening
Jaw Muscles
- Headaches
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Postural Problems
- Numbness in fingertips and arms
- Difficulty Swallowing
- Pain Behind Eyes
- Gum Recession
- Clenching and Grinding
Ears
- Dizziness
- Ringing in the Ears
- Earaches or Congestion
Other
- Nervousness/Insomnia
- Bell's Palsy
- Trigeminial Neuralgia
"Muscle Versus Tooth War"
If muscles must strain to get your teeth together, you may set up a "muscle versus tooth war" in your mouth. -- In this war, 3 things may happen:
- If your muscles win, you have rapid tooth wear.
- If your teeth win, you will have muscle tension and stress along with headaches and other TMD problems.
- Or worse, you will experience a combination of the above.
Uneven Bite and Bad Posture
An uneven bite can affect your posture by placing more strain on your neck muscles. Furthermore, an uneven body posture, starting from your feet up, can ultimately alter your posture. Therefore, when treating TMJ disorder, the whole body must be considered.
Scientific Insight
We use modern science to diagnose and gain insight into:
- What is cause your TMD Problem?
- What damage has your TMD caused?
- How TMD can be helped or corrected?
Then our treatment helps to restore muscle balance, joint and teeth activity.
NMD Data Collection
We start by gathering scientific data by:
- Careful observation of your signs and symptoms
- Special radiographs or your teeth and jaw joints
- Detailed casts of your teeth
- Neuromuscular testing using our advanced K-7, Electromyography instrumentation
- TENS stimulation (relaxing your jaw muscles to find natural resting position)
If you are experiencing symptoms of TMJ/TMD or are considering a smile makeover, and want to know more about Neuromuscular Dentistry, visit LeadingDentists.com - an LVI website.