Neuromuscular dentistry is a game changer. With it we can…
Neuromuscular dentistry is a game changer.
Your teeth and gums are just one part of your oral health.
Neuromuscular dentistry looks at the other parts that are critical to a healthy smile.
When many people think of dentistry, they focus only on the teeth and gums. This is a good start as both are critical to creating and maintaining good oral health. However, facial bones, muscles, nerves, and joints also play crucial roles in your ability to chew, speak, swallow, and maintain regular mouth function. Neuromuscular dentistry is focused on understanding, prioritizing, and addressing all of these elements, from the bones and nerves to the teeth and gums. With an emphasis on the latest in available diagnostic imaging and technology, the team at Berrien Dental brings this holistic, neuromuscular approach to your dental treatment.
Understanding what to look out for is key.
Identifying symptoms of malocclusion, TMD, and other types of misalignment is the first step to a healthier smile.
Sometimes a misalignment in your bite or jaws can be obvious. A painful clicking or popping when you move your mouth, soreness in your jaw, and a limited range of jaw motion are all common signs of malocclusion, or a misaligned bite.
They're also common signs of temporomandibular disorder (TMD), which refers to problems with your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the muscles that control it. However, some symptoms of misalignment in the jaw and surrounding muscles may not be so clear. Symptoms like headaches, ear congestion, pain behind the eyes, dizziness, unexplained numbness in the fingers or arms, ringing of the ears, and hot and cold sensitivity could all be related to your jaw. Other times, people suffering from misalignment may not feel any symptoms at all! That's why it's important to comprehensively evaluate the health of your bite with the support of a dentist skilled in neuromuscular dentistry. At Berrien Dental, we use advanced equipment that helps us get an extremely detailed look at the way your jaw, mouth, nerves, muscles, and bones work together. With these tools, we can uncover the root cause of any discomfort you may be feeling and target the core concern rather than simply treat symptoms.
Treatment can restore balance and function.
Once we diagnose an imbalance, we’ll create a customized plan to help improve your oral and jaw health.
Optimal health requires optimal alignment of your bite and jaws. To ensure that we're leaving no stone unturned, we've invested in advanced technological instruments to uncover and diagnose neuromuscular (nerve and muscle) imbalances and get you on the path to feeling your best. As part of your evaluation, we'll use a number of resources designed to help us better understand the inner workings of your mouth and jaws.
A common tool in neuromuscular dentistry is sonography, which uses high-frequency sound waves to create digital images that measure the movement and vibration in the jaw joint, to identify joint misalignment. Another tool we often use is an electromyograph, or EMG, in which electrodes placed over jaw muscles sense electrical impulses and transmit information to a specialized recording instrument. We use this data to diagnose muscle and nerve dysfunction. We may also use a mandibular electrognathograph and kinesiograph to analyze jaw movements three-dimensionally. These help us identify trajectory and mobility concerns in the jaw joints. Finally, we may use a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit to help restore a physiologically correct bite position by relaxing the muscles of the head and neck.
With these tools, we can gain more knowledge than ever before about the inner workings of your mouth and jaws and use this information to create a plan that will help you achieve the best possible oral health, benefitting your overall well-being in the process.
Quality dental care should always be accessible.
That's why at Berrien Dental, our financial policy allows us to provide you with the best treatment available, not limited to what your insurance plan covers. We'll happily submit your insurance paperwork electronically for you at the time of treatment. We also offer several payment options, including the CareCredit financing program.
For members of our community who have inadequate insurance or none at all, a Berrien Dental membership can help you afford dental treatment you need. This specially designed system operates like a savings plan and can be just the thing to help you more easily prioritize your health. Contact us today to learn more and see if you might qualify!