While many cases of a headache or neck pain can be effectively treated by chiropractic care, if a TMJ disorder is the cause of pain you should also visit a TMJ dentist.
The science of chiropractic has been around for over a hundred years. Although it got off to a rocky start, it now enjoys a forefront position in the medical community as a viable and very successful methodology for alternative medicine.
However, is it effective in relieving TMJ discomfort and pain? Even though the basic philosophy of chiropractic is to realign and adjust the spine and major joints, it is rather difficult to realign a jaw directly with chiropractic care. The jaw alignment may be helped though with a spinal adjustment. Certain other modalities might be attempted to relieve TMJ pain by a chiropractor, and these include heat, massage and a gentle electric current that stimulates the surrounding muscle. Some patients even claim they do experience relief after a few visits.
However, if you have been diagnosed with a TMJ disorder, or if you believe that you may have TMJ syndrome (a problem related to the way the jaw and surrounding muscles work together), your best bet is to rely on a TMJ dentist or oral surgeon who is experienced in this area of treatment.
It is one thing to make the diagnosis, but it is quite another thing to understand what caused the problem. A TMJ disorder does not just happen on its own unless the person was born with some sort of abnormality in that area. Usually the problem results over time because a few teeth have slipped out of alignment and the bite is off. This can cause severe pain and other symptoms including a severe headache and even neck pain and back pain.
Other causes might be more acute such as accidents, falls, or even a hard slap across the face. Nightly teeth grinding can cause the facial muscles to have spasms during the day. TMJ syndrome and other conditions can be caused by some chronic diseases that effect all muscles.
Without knowing the exact cause of the TMJ disorder, it is difficult to prescribe a treatment modality. A dental professional is the best source of results for this type of diagnosis as well as getting an effective plan for treatment.
If your regular dentist does not happen to be an expert in the area, and not all are, ask if he knows of a colleague he could recommend to you. Referrals are always an excellent way to find the medical help you need.
It could require a few weeks to get pain relief even after a definite diagnosis is made. There are various medications that may provide temporary relief of pain symptoms, but not every patient responds to each drug the same way. In addition to serious pain killers, there are steroids and non-steroids, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory pills.
Of course, as with any type of medication, there are side effects to be aware of. For instance, muscle relaxants might help relieve pain for a while, but many cause drowsiness - not a good idea to take if you are driving and hard to take if you're working. Steroids have another set of side effects that many patients find unpleasant such as bloating and rashes.
The best treatment a TMJ dentist provides is a custom made orthotic which is a mouth guard that gently realigns the jaw and bite. Relief from many types of pain such as a headache or neck pain is corrected by this in addition to the root cause of the problem.
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