While many cases of a headache or neck pain can be
effectively treated by chiropractic care, if a TMJ
disorder is the cause of pain you should also visit
a
TMJ dentist.
The science of chiropractic has
been around for over a hundred years. Although it
got off to a rocky start, it now enjoys a forefront
position in the medical community as a viable and
very successful methodology for alternative
medicine.
However, is it effective in relieving TMJ
discomfort and pain? Even though the basic
philosophy of chiropractic is to realign and adjust
the spine and major joints, it is rather difficult
to realign a jaw directly with chiropractic care.
The jaw alignment may be helped though with a spinal
adjustment. Certain other modalities might be
attempted to relieve TMJ pain by a chiropractor, and
these include heat, massage and a gentle electric
current that stimulates the surrounding muscle. Some
patients even claim they do experience relief after
a few visits.
However, if you have been diagnosed with a TMJ
disorder, or if you believe that you may have TMJ
syndrome (a problem related to the way the jaw and
surrounding muscles work together), your best bet is
to rely on a TMJ dentist or oral surgeon who is
experienced in this area of treatment.
It is one thing to make the diagnosis, but it is
quite another thing to understand what caused the
problem. A TMJ disorder does not just happen on its
own unless the person was born with some sort of
abnormality in that area. Usually the problem
results over time because a few teeth have slipped
out of alignment and the bite is off. This can cause
severe pain and other symptoms including a severe
headache and even neck pain and back pain.
Other causes might be more acute such as
accidents, falls, or even a hard slap across the
face. Nightly teeth grinding can cause the facial
muscles to have spasms during the day. TMJ syndrome
and other conditions can be caused by some chronic
diseases that effect all muscles.
Without knowing the exact cause of the TMJ
disorder, it is difficult to prescribe a treatment
modality. A dental professional is the best source
of results for this type of diagnosis as well as
getting an effective plan for treatment.
If your regular dentist does not happen to be an
expert in the area, and not all are, ask if he knows
of a colleague he could recommend to you. Referrals
are always an excellent way to find the medical help
you need.
It could require a few weeks to get pain relief
even after a definite diagnosis is made. There are
various medications that may provide temporary
relief of pain symptoms, but not every patient
responds to each drug the same way. In addition to
serious pain killers, there are steroids and
non-steroids, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory
pills.
Of course, as with any type of medication, there
are side effects to be aware of. For instance,
muscle relaxants might help relieve pain for a
while, but many cause drowsiness - not a good idea
to take if you are driving and hard to take if
you're working. Steroids have another set of side
effects that many patients find unpleasant such as
bloating and rashes.
The best treatment a TMJ dentist provides is a
custom made orthotic which is a mouth guard that
gently realigns the jaw and bite. Relief from many
types of pain such as a headache or neck pain is
corrected by this in addition to the root cause of
the problem.
