Dental appliances

Traditionally, dentists have just treated the teeth and gum issues. Neuromuscular Dentistry focuses on the evaluation of your muscles and joints to ensure your bite is optimal for comfort and function. If the muscles are for any reason not comfortable, you will usually get symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD).

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What are the symptoms of TMD?

In many cases, people suffering from TMD report chronic facial pain, headaches, limited mouth opening, dizziness or any combination of these symptoms. Snoring, grinding of teeth, frequent ear infections and restricted airway are other problems associated with TMD.

What types of appliances can be used to treat TMD?

Dental appliances such as occulsal splints and orthotics can be used to help manage the symptoms of TMD.

How can Neuromuscular dentistry help?

Neuromuscular dentistry allows us to track your jaw movement and assess how best to treat your symptoms therefore also providing optimal restorative treatment options.

How many steps are there in the treatment?

Generally treatment will follow these three steps:

Relieve muscle spasm and pain. Our immediate concern is to provide relief of your symptoms. The best way to do this is by using a technology called ULF-TENS. ULF-TENS stands for Ultra Low Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation, but don’t let this term intimidate you. The rhythmic pulsing relaxes the muscles by increasing blood flow and pumping out waste products. ULF-TENS also helps with pain relief by stimulating the body’s production of endorphins, the body’s natural anaesthetic. As the jaw muscles relax they realign to a more ideal position.
Stabilise the bite. Often for this step a temporary device, known as an orthotic is worn over the teeth. The orthotic allows us to make easy adjustments to the plastic without adjusting the teeth until the bite is stabilised. Once symptoms are relieved and the bite has been stabilised, we can then permanently adjust your bite to the correct position.
Long-term management. There are a variety of ways to correct your bite in a more permanent way. We will discuss the various options with you, and help you choose what will work best for you.