Welcome to the second installment of my Blog for Carlyle Dental. Today’s topic is going to be “TMJ” treatment and myths. I have people who come into our office and their dentist or physician has diagnosed them with “TMJ”. First, off the DDS or MD may be completely correct in the fact that the patient has something going on in or around the Temporomandibular Joint. They are, though, completely showing their lack of knowledge of the subject! To say someone has TMJ is like telling someone with a knee problem they have “KNEE”. Everyone has two TMJ joints, just like everyone has two knees. When you have a problem with your knee, the doctor tells you have a torn ACL or lateral meniscus, etc. When you something wrong with your TMJ there are multiple disorders or syndromes that could be the actual problem. There are different treatments for each one depending on your exact diagnosis.
The most common diagnosis is Myofascial Pain Syndrome which a muscle disorder that would be similar to a sprain or strain. This could result from overexertion like eating too much at Thanksgiving or talking too much or opening too wide. Seventy percent of the people who come into my office with Myofascial Pain Syndrome have it as a direct result of “STRESS”. Myofascial Pain Syndrome can result in referred pain to teeth, neck, or back just like Sciatica can result in leg pain from pinched nerves in your lower back. We have treated people who have bounced around from dentists to physicians to neurologists to oral surgeons to chiropractors with little or no improvements. I had a patient the other day who had done that very thing for two years. After following our treatment regimen for two weeks, she was 75% and I thought she was going to kiss me when I walked into the room because she felt so much better!
At Carlyle Dental we have had extremely good success treating people with all types of disorders involving the jaw joints. If your dentist or physician has diagnosed you with “TMJ” or you think you have something going with your jaw joints, call us today for a consultation to discover your true diagnosis and how to improve or cure your pain!