Chronic Headaches, Neck Pain? The Cause May Be TMD (NAPSA)—A recent survey shows that people often live with painful symptoms, such as headache, neck pain and popping of their jaw, despite seeking medical attention from physicians, neurologists and chiropractors. A typical case is Julie Bush, a professional photographer living near Toledo, Ohio. For seven years she had migraines and facial pain, and her jaw popped when she chewed. Some days her headaches were so intense she couldn’t work. Painkillers and ice packs applied to her face did not alleviate her pain. “I was a closed-mouth smiler,” she said, TU i ie adding that “In my business, smiling confidently couldn’t be more important.” Eventually, she discussed the symptoms with a neuromuscular dentist. After an initial examina- Your pain in the neck may be caused by your jaw. orthotic and “My headaches were gone right way.” “Line up your jaw—it completely makes sense,” Bush said. She was fitted with crowns and veneers so her jaw would remain in the optimal position determined by her neuromuscular dentist. Her jaw no longer pops and she has nofacial pain. “Now I have a bright smile, which I show to everyone,” she said. “It’s amazing.” Headache A Major Symptom A national survey of neuromuscular dentists showsthat the No. 1 symptom their patients suffer from is headaches at 75 percent, including migraines. This is followed by jaw joint pain at 20 percent. Other common symptoms include neck and shoulder pain and ringing in the ears. Sufferers commonly miss work due to the level of pain. president of LVI Global in Las Vegas, Nev. Dentists from all over the world attend LVI to learn neuromuscular dentistry. How TMDIs Treated After a thorough examination, including a pain-free electronic analysis of the muscles of the jaw, specially trained neuromuscular dentists perform a workup and show the patient how treatment will change the bite and alleviate pain. The neuromuscular dentist then uses a variety of techniques to relax the jaw andfind the optimal position. From there an orthotic, much like a mouth guard used by tion, she was fitted with an “Interestingly, less than 5 percent of the dentists in the world are trained in neuromuscular dentistry,” said Dr. Bill Dickerson, athletes, is made and used to tem- porarily maintain the optimal position until patients can befitted with permanent crowns and veneers. For more information or to locate a specially trained dentist near you, visit www.leading dentists.com.
