I am excited to start an ongoing blog about Dentistry, about the areas of health that particularly interest me, and that can be helpful to my patients and friends.

Today I want to start talking about something I see frequently in my TMD practice.

TMD is an acronym for tempero-mandibular joint dysfunction. Don’t get scared everybody! Many people carry a lot of tension and stress in their face, neck, and shoulders, that is connected to the way their jaws open and close. When the teeth don’t line up to fit evenly with equal pressure, the opening and closing muscles can start working against each other.  At night, especially while sleeping, the jaws may then clench or grind for hours.  

By morning the muscles may feel tense, or are in spasm, causing headaches and migraine pain. The teeth may wear down or even break. Often the joints start popping and hurting.  In my experience, women often report headache pain as a result of this condition, while men more often seek treatment for excessive wear on their teeth. 

Treatments vary. The simplest one is  something I use called an NTI.  This is a small night guard that relaxes the jaw muscles and prevents muscle ache and damage to teeth. The appliance can be fabricated at the office in one treatment visit, and usually results in an extremely rapid relief of the pain and headaches. If you or your friends have these symptoms please  bring them up at your next appointment. I would love to be able to help.