If you think you have pain related to a TMJ disorder, save yourself time by looking for a TMJ dentist close by in your local area who can perform four specific tests. These four tests are a joint vibrational analysis, jaw tracker analysis, electromyography analysis and a tomographic x-ray analysis. These tests confirm if the source of pain is because of a TMJ problem. The problem is, not all dentists are comfortable treating a TMJ disorder and not all dentists perform these four tests.
If someone has experienced pain for some time in the form of headaches, migraines, jaw pain, facial pain or neck pain then they should consider seeing a practitioner of neuromuscular dentistry (a TMJ dentist) who can confirm if the source of their pain is with the TMJ.
Tension or muscle strains causing pain in any of these areas often show signs of improvement in a matter of days to a few weeks. However, long term pain can be a sign of a more serious problem with the temporomandibular joint that needs to be properly treated as early as possible.
Visiting A TMJ Dentist
When you see a TMJ dentist he will ask you a number of questions to help identify what the source of your pain problem is. Among the many things he will want to know is where the pain is located and when it first began. He will also educate you about the many things that may have originally happened to cause your pain.
The more specific you are about the history your TMJ symptoms the better it is in terms of a diagnosis. The TMJ dentist will perform an initial assessment on you and can then use four pieces of high-tech diagnostic equipment in order to precisely assess the cause of your pain. If the test results show a patient has a TMJ disorder then a TMJ dentist can provide an appropriate treatment plan.
Here are the four tests to determine if someone has a TMJ disorder and could benefit from treatment by a TMJ dentist.
1. Joint Vibrational Analysis
Healthy joints should make almost no sound when moved. If a vibration is detected in the TMJ when opening the jaw this indicates that there is a problem with this joint. The next step with this equipment would be to determine if there is damage to any tissues in this joint.
2. Jaw Tracker Analysis
A jaw tracker determines how fast and how easily the jaw opens and closes. It also indicates how straight the jaw opens. Both of these elements are used to assess the degree of damage to the TMJ.
3. Electromyography Analysis
The amount of tension present in the TMJ related muscles is determined through electromyography as another very important indicator of the state of health of the temporomandibular joint.
4.Tomographic X-Ray Test
Visualization of the jaw joint is assisted with the use of a complex motion tomography x-ray machine. Alignment is checked with this important piece of diagnostic equipment which is very different from a regular x-ray.
The use of these four diagnostic tools assist a TMJ dentist in getting as clear a picture as possible of the cause of someones' pain. A proper and complete diagnosis is the most important step in removing pain for the long term because the proper course of treatment can only begin once the root cause of pain is accurately determined.
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