Natural Dentistry

Exactly what is Neuromuscular Dentistry?

Neuromuscular (neuro means nerves, muscular means muscles) dentistry is one of the new technologies available in dentistry today.  It is different from regular dentistry in that it focuses on the muscles of the jaw and neck and how they are related to the teeth. 

Neuromuscular dentistry recognizes that the muscles that move the jaw must be in a comfortable, relaxed position in order to not be in conflict with the teeth and jaw joint i.e. we must have “happy muscles.”

Well that is just one of the conditions that Neuromuscular dentistry is being used to treat.  Some of the symptoms that occur when we do not have these ”happy muscles” include:

• Headaches or migraines,

• Loose teeth,

• Clenching or grinding,

• Root abfractions (eroded spaces on a tooth near the gumline),

• Pain or clicking and popping in the jaw joints,

• Shoulder, neck, and back pain,

• Numbness in arms and fingers,

• Non-specific facial pain,

• Problems swallowing,

• Hot or cold sensitive teeth,

• Crowded teeth,

• Receding gums,

• Ringing or congestion in the ears.

How We can Help You

There are several specialized pieces of computerized equipment used in Neuromuscular Dentistry to help a person get to a position of  “Happy Muscles.”   First, we must find a relaxed position that is most comfortable for the patient.  This is position where the muscles are relaxed, regardless of where the teeth line up.

A device known as the Myomonitor is used to help relax the patient’s muscles.  It is a low frequency T.E.N.S. (Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation) unit.  The Myomonitor stimulates the Trigeminal Nerve and The Facial nerve using a very mild electrical impulse.

This TENSing accomplishes 3 things:

• First, it pumps waste products and lactic acid away from the stressed muscles.

• Second, it increases the blood flow to the muscle, which increases the oxygen, glucose, and energy to the muscle itself.

• Finally, it allows the jaw to relax into its ideal position.

TENSing usually takes 45 – 60 minutes depending on the patient’s symptoms and how tight their muscles are.  Sometimes we will use a special computer to measure the level of tightness in the different muscles.  Before TENSing, readings are taken to show the hyperactivity of the muscles.  After TENSing there is much less activity and the muscle are more relaxed and much “happier.”

After TENSing and finding the ideal position of the jaw where the muscles are happy, we make a mouthpiece (appliance) called an orthotic to keep the muscles in this position.  This is very important, as it allows them to remain at their ideal length, which prevents them from going into spasm. 

Again, we want to get into and keep a state of “Happy Muscles.”

Wearing the orthotic allows the muscles to heal, pain to dissipate and/or disappear and the jaw joint to heal.  The orthotic is usually worn for 1-3 months to make sure the bite is correct and that the symptoms disappear.

Once the patient has become symptom free, we make a decision about Phase 2 of treatment.  The patient may decide to wear the orthotic indefinitely, have orthodontic treatment done to move teeth into the correct position, have the teeth restored or adjust the teeth to their ideal bite.