Cure TMD-TMJ Syndrome Naturally - Common Methods of Treatment

Common Methods of Treatment

• mouth guards / appliances / splints


• neuromuscular dentistry


• reshaping teeth

Mouth Guards / Appliances / Splints

Mouth Guards Don't Cure. The principle and hope of these kinds of devices is that by separating the teeth, they are prevented from grinding each other. However, from the very name, "mouth guard," we infer that this kind of device doesn't solve the problem, but only hopes to prevent tooth damage. It's obvious -- what the mouth is being guarded from is... the mouth! "Appliance" and "splint" are other names for "mouth guard".

Neuromuscular Dentistry

Neuromuscular dentistry takes a more sophisticated technological approach to the use of dental appliances. By measuring electrical activity of the muscles of biting and chewing, practitioners of this approach identify patterns of movement, of position, and of dental stress and then prepare an appliance to retrain the nervous system's control of those muscles. The desired outcome common comes in a few months; cost ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.

Re-shaping Teeth

Dentists have found that by changing the fit of upper and lower teeth, they can alter neuromuscular control of the muscles of biting and chewing and thereby alleviate TMJ Syndrome. This approach posits that the cause of excessive jaw tension is poor fit between upper and lower teeth. Its method is to reshape tooth surfaces by a polishing process to improve the fit. This method does get results. By changing the fit between teeth (by removing contours that prevent uniform contact among teeth), the process changes ones experience of biting and chewing.

This change introduces such a new experience of biting and chewing that habitual patterns of muscular control are interrupted, allowing new movement patterns to form. However, it's an indirect approach involving ongoing dental surgery in a series of steps to a good fit. While its effects may be beneficial, it is costly and is invasive.

A NEW TECHNIQUE

Clinical Somatic Education

Understanding that we are dealing with conditioned postural reflexes that govern muscular tension, one way to cure TMD naturally would be to retrain those conditioned postural reflexes -- in effect, to eliminate residual trauma reflex and to ease dental stress.

A simplified description of clinical somatic education technique:

1. With teeth slightly apart, grasp the chin with both hands, thumbs hooked underneath the chin.


2. Gently bite, but prevent the teeth from meeting by your handhold.


3. Feel the muscles of biting. Remember the feeling of chewing.


4. Slowly and simultaneously do two things: (1) Relax the bite action. (2) Tip your head back (rather than drop the jaw open). Your hands maintain position exactly where they were.


5. At your first easy limit to opening further, bite again, but prevent the jaws from closing by your handhold.


6. Feel the muscles of biting. Remember the feeling of chewing.


7. Relax the bite as you tip your head back a bit further to your easy limit.

Continue to your limit (without forcing).

REPEAT.

This new technique, using natural biting/relaxation actions in an unusual way, rapidly (nearly instantaneously) retrains the muscles of biting and chewing, with lasting results that increase with practice. Though it seems innocuous, it is highly effective (and should be tested by the reader before forming an opinion).

By applying this basic technique to the various directions of jaw movement -- opening-closing, side-to-side grinding movements, and forward-backward jaw movements -- the various symptoms of TMD/TMJ Syndrome -- headaches, earaches, bruxism, poor bite, tinnitis, postural changes, limited ability to open or close the jaws -- resolve into normal function.