TMD: What You Should Know And Who Can Help (NAPSA)—Seeing your dentist can be an important first step in finding out if you have temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), a chronic illness that affects as much as 70 percent of the population. This chronic degenerative disease often takes years to develop, but new techniques and computerized technology can help many people find relief. The symptoms of TMD include: * headaches; * neck, shoulder or back pain; * pain or soreness around the jaw joints; * facial pain; * worn, chipped or cracked teeth; * clicking or grating sounds in the jaw joints; * limited movement or locking jaw; * congestion or stuffiness of the ears; and * numbness in the fingers and arms. People who suffer from TMD have a structural imbalance in their jaw-to-skull relationship. This is caused by a bad bite (malocclusion), which places excessive pressure on the joint and tissues around it. TMD affects the muscles in the face, back, neck and shoulders. To correct this, the jaw is brought back into a muscularly balanced position through sophisticated computer analysis. In many cases, dentists can do this without joint surgery or braces. Dentists who deal with this type of problem in this way are Thanks to modern techniques, dentists can now correct a common jaw problem. trained specifically in neuromuscular dentistry. This is the art and science of using the relaxed position of the muscles of the head and neck to place the jaw into an optimal resting and functionary position. Thirty-five years of research and clinical experience have shown this technique to be effective in treating patients with various levels of head and neck pain. It is also used in finding the optimal jaw positions before restorative dentistry or orthodontics, to help increase the lifespan of teeth and restorations. To find a neuromuscular dentist or for more information on TMD, visit www.leadingdentists. com.
