Galleria Dental Aesthetics | Dental Blog
Northern Virginia, including Arlington and Alexandria
Archive for October, 2010
Are My Neck Aches Caused by TMJ, Too?
Friday, October 29th, 2010
TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) is a known cause of face, jaw and head pain. But TMJ also can be the culprit that causes neck aches, as well as shoulder and arm pain. Neuromuscular dentists Dr. Lee and Dr. Oh use only state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and techniques to diagnose TMJ disorders. The technology used at northern Virginia’s Galleria Dental Aesthetics helps pinpoint the causes of TMJ ensuring that we have the information we need to develop the best TMJ treatment plan for you.
TMJ Causes
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research have identified three classifications of causes for TMJ disorders:
• Myofascial pain in muscles that control your jaws, or in the neck and shoulder muscles
• Internal joint injury, for example dislocated jaw or physical injury to any part of the jaw
• Degenerative joint disease in the jaw joint including osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
TMJ–Cause or Effect?
According to the descriptions of these TMJ causes, neck aches from any other cause can, in turn, lead to TMJ, as well as be caused by TMJ.
Pain such as neck aches can have many other causes, so it is important to have a thorough medical checkup, as well as a neuromuscular dentistry examination, to ensure you do not have more than one cause. Read our TMD questions for more about causes, treatment and symptoms.
If you are in the Tyson Corners or Alexandria,Virginia area and TMJ neck aches have you concerned, please contact northern Virginia’s top rated TMJ neuromuscular dentists at Galleria Dental Aesthetics for a consultation.
Posted in Migraines, TMJ | No Comments »
How Do You Treat TMJ?
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Treatment for TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) begins with a thorough diagnosis performed by neuromuscular dentists like Dr. Lee or Dr. Oh at our Galleria Dental Aesthetics office in Tyson Corners. Using state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment we can determine the ideal alignment of your temporomandibular joints and whether they are misaligned, injured, or affected by disease such as arthritis. Your specific TMJ treatment depends upon the cause of your temporomandibular joint disorder.
Bite related problems are treated with orthotics, orthodontics, or cosmetic dentistry such as fillings, dental crowns, implants or bridges. Our goal is to realign your bite so that your jaw works properly and your teeth and bite fit naturally and comfortably.
Injuries from trauma may require surgery as a last resort. Treatments, such as therapeutic jaw exercises, hot or cold treatments, biofeedback, TENS stimulations, ultrasound and anti-inflammatory or other medications are preferable when they provide lasting results.
We have successfully treated some of our patients with relaxation techniques and stress management. With such a wide range of treatments available, it is important to make sure you choose a qualified neuromuscular dentist who diagnoses TMJ causes accurately with the right TMJ diagnostic tests. There is much to encourage TMJ sufferers, and no reason to resign yourself to its painful symptoms.
If you or a loved one suffers from TMJ in Tyson Corners, Alexandria or in the area of Northern Virginia, please contact the highly qualified neuromuscular dentists at Galleria Dental Aesthetics and take the first step toward treating your TMJ today.
Posted in Migraines, TMJ | No Comments »
Why Does TMJ Give Me a Headache?
Friday, October 29th, 2010
At first, it might seem a huge leap to conclude that a misaligned or injured jaw joint could cause headaches. But the association between our nerves, muscles and joints often cause problems in seemingly unrelated areas of our bodies. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) cause stress and stress can cause TMD. Jaw clenching, teeth grinding, a variety of teeth problems, and many other treatable conditions can lead to localized pain in the jaw or pain radiated to facial muscles. When your body experiences pain, muscles contract, nerves may be pinched and blood flow is reduced.
As TMD symptoms persist, adjacent muscles and nerves can be affected, and tension can increase over time spreading to your head, neck, shoulder, arm and back muscles. Eventually, the increased tension can cause severe headaches, often described as migraines.
Standard medical treatment for migraines does not correct TMD, and so, will not cure these headaches. Most patients do not realize that it could be a dental problem, so they may not question the cause of their headaches further.
The neuromuscular dentists at Galleria Dental Aesthetics are committed to helping patients return to a pain-free life by providing the highest standards of dental and oral health care. Dr. Lee and Dr. Oh are making a special effort to inform people about the treatments available for TMJ headaches and other painful symptoms often mistaken for other conditions.
If you would like information about TMJ migraines from the dentists voted “top dentists” and “best dentists” by a number of councils, magazines, and peers, please contact Alexandria and Tysons Corner neuromuscular dentists, serving patients around northern Virginia, for a personal evaluation.
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Migraines and TMJ
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Here at Galleria Dental Aesthetics in northern Virginia, we often see patients whose main complaint is headaches. If you have been treated unsuccessfully by your medical doctors and have begun wondering if you have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) migraines, we have good news! Neuromuscular dentistry has offered successful TMJ migraine treatment for many years.
TMJ Migraines–A Misnomer
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) are capable of causing many painful side effects. Among them are headaches so severe that victims mistake them for migraine headaches. Headaches that don’t respond to standard medical treatment are very often the severe and persistent headaches caused by temporomandibular joint misalignment, injury or inflammation.
TMD is a very real and debilitating condition that can affect all aspects of your health. TMD can prompt people to eat only soft foods to avoid the pain of chewing. TMD pain can interfere with your ability to work or even to perform everyday activities.
If you have experienced any of the symptoms of TMD, which can come and go, it may be time to consider having a neuromuscular dentist give you a thorough TMD evaluation. Neuromuscular dentistry offers a broad range of treatments designed to realign your jaw and heal the causes, not just the symptoms, of TMD.
For more information about treatment for TMJ and TMD in the Alexandria, Tysons Corner, and Northern Virginia please contact the neuromuscular dentists, voted the top dentists in America by the American Council of Consumer Reports.
Posted in Migraines, TMJ | No Comments »
