The Stow Dental Group Blog

Headaches alone can be painful, but if you are also experiencing back, shoulder or neck pain, you may not have a simple headache. If you also have worn, chipped or cracked teeth, numbness of the face and hands and pain around your jaw joints, you might have temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ/TMD.

The temporomandibular joint is the jaw joint connecting the jaw to the skull. There are three large facial nerves that are intricately involved with the functioning of this joint. If you have a misaligned bite (also referred to as a malocclusion), the jaw joint takes the brunt of the stress. Chronic stress in the jaw joint and surrounding muscles can ultimately lead to the inflammation and irritation of those nerves, resulting in a long list of painful symptoms, one of which is severe headaches.

At Stow Dental Group, we can help. We begin by focusing on relieving painful TMJ/TMD symptoms by relaxing the jaw using a TENS unit. This sends electrical pulses to your nerves relieving pain. Next, we develop an individualized and comprehensive treatment plan, which will include re-aligning the jaw, strengthening the jaw joint and restoring the health and condition of your bite.

With the proper treatment plan, patients typically experience total relief from symptoms in a very short amount of time. The best news is that in most cases, surgery or braces are rarely required.

If you live in Akron, Ohio or the surrounding areas, and would like to learn more about treatment options for TMD/TMJ, please contact the experienced neuromuscular dentists at Stow Dental Group today.