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Neuromuscular Dentistry
Neuromuscular dentistry is the science of dentistry that objectively evaluates the complex relationship of the teeth, the jaw joints, and the surrounding muscles of the head and neck. If the way your teeth fit together (your bite) is incorrect, your jaw joints, your chewing muscles, as well as the surrounding head and neck muscles must work harder than they should to accommodate to the poor bite. Every time you chew or swallow, your teeth must come together (and this occurs about 2000 times a day) and if you have a bad bite, it means that your jaw joints and muscles must work extra hard to get the teeth together. Over the span of many years, this causes damage and pain to these structures.
The goal of neuromuscular dentistry is to identify and correct an unstable bite to a neuromuscular bite where the teeth, the joints, and the muscles are all in harmony. We use very precise instrumentation to first relax your jaw muscles and then determine the correct bite that maintains this relaxed state of the muscles.
Common Symptoms of Neuromuscular Instability
- Headaches
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Jaw pain
- Jaw popping/clicking
- Difficulty chewing
- Earache/ear stuffiness
- Ringing in the ears
- Tingling of scalp and/or fingertips
How We Can Help
Once the correct bite has been determined, the first phase of therapy involves making you a removable appliance called an orthotic that maintains the correct bite and helps to return the jaw joints and muscles to a healthy and relaxed state. At the end of this phase, we will together decide on a more permanent solution for long-term stability.
More Cosmetic Dental Services:
- Teeth Whitening
- Full-Mouth Restoration & Rehabilitation
- Cosmetic Teeth Bonding
- Composite & Porcelain Veneers
- Lumineers
- Tooth Fillings
- Removal of Stains
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