Dentists Help Athletes And Armchair Quarterbacks (NAPSA)—It appears weekend athletes would be well advised to hit both the gym andthe dentist’s chair. That’s what experts say about the science behind a new type of mouthpiece improving endurance, strength and flexibility in pro sports. More than 300 professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, pro golf, plus boxers and runners are benefiting from the science of neuromuscular dentistry used by the mouthguard to enhance performance. Ve The NFL’s New Orleans Saints 7 did not lose a game for months when all players began wearing the mouthguard. They reported benefits off the field, as well. Experts say that affirms what neuromuscular dentists have been doing for years—using special mouthpieces to treat temporomandibular (jaw joint) disorder, commonly known as TMD, a mis- alignment of the jaw that can cause problems ranging from migraine headachesto lost sleep, back and neck pain, and clicking and locking of the jaw. Neuromuscular dentists are trained after dental school at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI). At LVI, dentists learn specialized techniques and to use advanced diagnostic equipmentto find a patient’s opti- mum “neuromuscular position”— the point at which the jaw is naturally aligned andatrest. At this position, the body is in balance and best able to function. With the muscles and skeletal support all in this balanced posi- Neuromuscular dentists have developed a mouthpiece meant to improve athletic performance and also help treat jaw pain. tion, people report increased strength and flexibility and endurance in sports. More important, this also helps to eliminate chronic pain conditions like mi- graine and other pain in the head and neck. Neuromuscular dentists then use that information to mold a mouthpiece that gently keeps the jaw properly placed. For the athletes, the alignment can maximize performance. For everyone else with varying degrees of TMD, the alignment helps relieve symptoms. The bite can be realigned for per- manentrelief without surgery. Fewer than 5 percent of the world’s dentists are trained in neuromuscular dentistry. To learn more or to find a neuromuscular dentist in the area, www.leadingdentists.com. visit
