Head and
neck pain is often the result of jaw dysfunction. Jaw
dysfunction occurs when the jaw joints don’t work
correctly due to abnormally tense muscles. One of the
factors that can lead to this tension is a strained bite
position.
This
tension on the bones and joints can deform the jaw
bones, making them ragged and rough and unable to
function smoothly. Pain from TMJ, and/or noises like
popping and grinding can occur when you move your jaw
and indicate that damage has likely occurred.
Accommodating the jaw to this damage can lead to further
muscle tension which can produce pain in your face,
neck, and shoulders and additional damage to the joints
of the head and neck.
We use our
high-tech dental CAT scan to take highly detailed 3-D
images to show you exactly how your facial, neck and
joint bones look and determine if we’re seeing any
degeneration. You will be able to see and understand
precisely what is happening to your jaw and what we can
do to help correct any problems.
For head
and neck pain relief, the muscles of the jaw must be
comfortable. For the muscles to be comfortable, they
must be in balanced “tone” and not abnormally tense due
to constantly maintaining a poor position.
We
determine your physiologically comfortable position by
relaxing the muscles with Tensing. When we determine
this position, we make an orthotic for you to use to
guide your muscles to this position. This allows the
muscles to relax, the damage to cease, and healing to
occur.