Hello my wonderful TMJoiners! I’m Priya Mistry the TMJ doc and today I’m going to
talk to you guys about Neuromuscular Dentistry - what it is, why and how it’s used, and more.
That being said, if you’re looking for more information on TMJ Disorders in general,
then this is the YouTube channel for you. Make sure to hit that Subscribe button as I post
a new informational video every Friday for people who are suffering from TMJ Disorders
or for people who are just kind of looking for more information!
On a side note, I’ve definitely noticed that we have over 8500 Subscribers for this channel
and I’m so happy that we're reaching a wider audience. So please continue to Subscribe, watch,
share, like, dislike, do all the things - so that we can get these videos pushed out into
the Interwebs more to reach more people, inform more people, and help more people!
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a general dentist with a practice where we
are dedicated to taking care of patients with TMJ disorders. My practice is in beautiful Vancouver,
Washington which is just 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon. We moved here recently so
you may notice the change of background, which we may be changing up as time goes on even more.
Please check out the links in the description box below if you want to hang out with me on
my other social media platforms particularly Instagram which is where I'm pretty active!
So let’s get right into it! What is Neuromuscular Dentistry? First and foremost, I want to say
that this video is PURELY informational. I am NOT promoting Neuromuscular Dentistry
as a method of dentistry that should be used over others, though I do like the theory behind
it! I have seen a variety of ways work to treat and help patients with TMJ Disorders,
with Neuromuscular Dentistry definitely being one of them! So to be concise, Neuromuscular
Dentistry is an approach to dental treatment that takes the jaw joints, the jaw muscles and
the teeth ALL into consideration. It takes it all into consideration in how all of those different
areas function together. This method of dentistry came about in the 1960s and has been used since
then to help patients who have dysfunctional or imbalanced bites and also help people who have TMJ
Disorders. Neuromuscular Dentistry uses a very specific technology to measure muscles that are
firing as well as the optimal position of the jaw. Once those measurements are taken or made,
a splint or orthotic is then made for the patient to hold the jaw in that optimal position
for the jaw and for the muscles. The theory here is that if the jaw is held in a position that is
optimal and comfortable for the muscles for a significant amount of time, then pain and
dysfunction in the head, neck, and jaw will start to decrease. What can also happen, though,
is that the bite can change because the jaw will actually start to adapt to this new position.
This is why many neuromuscular dentists will break treatment up into two phases - phase
1 and phase 2. Phase 1 involves the orthotic or splint therapy,
which can result in bite changes which leads us to Phase 2. Phase 2 is then restoring the bite
so it's nice and balanced but that the muscles are still held in that comfortable, optimal position.
Phase 2 is typically accomplished with orthodontia - braces - or full mouth
reconstruction - which is basically crowns or caps on every single tooth. To learn more about this,
please watch my video “Phase 1 vs. Phase 2 TMJD Treatment” which I have linked above.
At my office, we do our best during Phase 1 treatment not to change the bite, thereby
eliminating the need for Phase 2 Treatment. That being said, keep in mind that everything in our
bodies is fluid and dynamic and teeth will shift and migrate in time. At the end of our treatment,
our patients ARE advised to continue using the nighttime orthotic to keep symptoms at
bay. So many patients are happy to wear the nighttime orthotic night after night after night,
rather than commit to Phase 2 Treatment. Other patients are happy to commit to Phase 2 Treatment,
so it all just sort of can be catered to each patient individually as we go along.
So that’s really it my friends. If you like what you heard or learned something new, click
“Like” below, Subscribe to my channel, do all the things! As always, questions and comments
are welcome. I do my best to answer them all! And remember, you can never have TMI about TMJ!