Treating TMJ & Migraines

While many dentists claim to treat TMJ disorder or TMD, the truth is, many do not want to treat it. The TMJ is a complex joint that can cause patients many issues. Often times, these issues present themselves outside of the mouth and/or joints. Some of these issues include:

• Headaches
• Severely worn teeth
• Head and neck muscle tension
• Sore jaws
• Migraines
• Shoulder tightness
• Tingling in the fingers
• Teeth that are cold sensitive
• Pain behind the eyes
• Ringing in the ears

While these issues are not always related to the joints and a patient’s bite (the way the teeth come together), it is one area that should be ruled out. If the bite is not balanced or the joints are unstable, the body will attempt to straighten itself out. When this happens, patients can experience muscle fatigue, clenching, grinding or other symptoms of TMD.

Although there are times that some of these issues can be addressed by a night guard, sometimes, the night guard is just covering up the larger issue that may be occurring. Rather than simply placing a piece of plastic on your teeth, our goal is to understand what the underlying cause really is.

Once we understand the underlying cause and determine where the joint and the jaw needs to be, we have a better understanding of the type of treatment that we can utilize to achieve our patient’s goal.