What is Neuromuscular Dentistry?

When the jaw joints, nerves, muscles, teeth experience any type of imbalance, it can cause dysfunction, pain, crooked teeth, and TMJ and sleep disorders. With Dr. Green’s comprehensive neuromuscular dentistry approach, he can create a treatment plan that improves each of these problems.

Neuromuscular dentistry works to help your jaw rest in a comfortable position and allow each aspect of your jaw system to work together in harmony. Neuromuscular dentistry can help you sleep better by opening your airway, reduce pain, and improve your overall health, not to mention your oral health.

As part of your consultation, we will use a series of special dental technology (BioPak) to help us diagnose your condition and plan your treatment. We will measure the position of your jaw joints and muscles while they relax and while they clench, chew, and swallow. We’ll also measure mandibular movement and your facial muscles. Lastly, we will evaluate and measure your bite and bite force.

Each of these technologies is helpful for diagnosing your condition most accurately to find the actual cause of your pain and TMJ disorder. We also use it to plan every step of your treatment process to bring your jaw system back to harmony.

Who’s a Good Candidate for Neuromuscular Dentistry?

Although we incorporate a neuromuscular dentistry approach to every treatment we provide to patients, certain symptoms can indicate you will benefit from neuromuscular dentistry.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, please contact our dental office for a consultation.

mature adult woman smiling with teeth

Treating TMJ with Neuromuscular Dentistry

Oftentimes the cause of a TMJ disorder is an imbalance in the jaw system. This imbalance puts extra pressure on the TM joints which causes the TMJ disorder. By realigning the bite and balancing the jaw, we’re able to reduce or eliminate TMJ symptoms. Most treatments include using some type of orthotic to re-align the jaw to function properly. This holds your jaw in a correct position for minimal nerve disturbance and optimal muscle comfort. This orthotic is usually made in a non-removable way that looks just like your teeth. This treats the problem 24 hours a day for several weeks. After we help you achieve an optimal Jaw position using the orthotic, we will discuss long term solutions to correct the issues such as restoring your teeth to an ideal position or orthodontic treatment. Since every case is different, Dr. Green will create a unique treatment plan just for you.

TMJ and Sleep Apnea

Patients who have TMJ are also likely to have sleep apnea and vice versa. The relationship between TMJ and sleep disorders is actually stronger than one might think. When someone has an imbalanced bite or other craniofacial or orofacial abnormalities, it can cause airway obstructions. With neuromuscular dentistry, we’re able to correct these abnormalities and create a larger airway to prevent snoring and sleep apnea. If you suffer from sleep apnea, snoring, or another type of sleep disorder, we highly recommend getting a full TMJ diagnosis to see if these abnormalities are the cause of your sleep disorder. With the right neuromuscular dentistry treatment plan, we can treat your sleep disorder long-term.

If you suffer from TMJ or sleep apnea and think neuromuscular dentistry in Southlake, TX might benefit your life, please contact our dental office at (817) 587-4566 to schedule a consultation.