It is estimated that as many as forty to sixty million Americans experience some degree of craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD), also known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD), or disorder of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Many chronic sufferers are misdiagnosed with neuritis, neuraligia, stress, or tension headaches or even labeled as neurotics or hypochondriacs! The simple fact is that your teeth must come together properly when you chew and swallow if you are not to stress the maze of muscles that connects your jaw to your skull to your spine.

How do you know if you have CMD? It’s not always obvious! CMD can generate referred pain, manifesting in areas other than the jaw but still intricately related to an unstable bite. Do you suffer from migraines or headaches, pain behind the eyes, earaches, ringing or buzzing in the ears, loss of hearing, dizziness, clicking, locking of your jaw, grinding, clenching, unusual wearing or cracking of your teeth, jaw soreness upon awakening, difficulty swallowing, facial pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or numbness/tingling in the fingers? You may have a compromised bite!

Maybe you’ve tolerated symptoms for years. Your malocclusion (bad bite) might be inherited – crowded or overlapped teeth, poorly aligned teeth, extra or missing teeth, irregularities of jaws or face – or it might have resulted from habits like thumb/finger sucking or mouth breathing. Your bad bite may be the consequence of a single missing tooth, an improper restoration, or ground down or broken back teeth. The onset of symptoms may have been sudden and intense, as in after an accident, whiplash, or a blow to the face. Regardless of cause, jaw joint disorders tend to worsen over time if left untreated.

Accurate diagnosis can lead to treatment that can maintain or even restore your health. Our fully equipped Craniomandibular Diagnostic Center features panoramic, tomographic, and cephalometric radiography, EMG, Joint Vibration Analysis, and Jaw Tracking. If appropriate, Dr. Trovato can fit you with an orthotic appliance as a first step toward pain relief and bite stabilization. In-office therapies may include Infrared, Energex, Iontophoresis, or alternative therapies. Some conditions will benefit most from multidisciplinary treatment, and in those cases Dr. Trovato will work closely with your chiropractor, doctor, physical therapist, or other practitioner.

As your health improves, we can look at options that will allow you to discontinue the use of the appliance without sacrificing the stability and comfort you’ve achieved. You may need no further treatment! Or you may take advantage of rehabilitative dental care – implants, crown and bridge, restorations, orthodontics, or a combination - to reposition your teeth to maintain the new bite.

You deserve to live free from chronic pain!

For more information on CMD, visit the website of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain at www.aacraniofacialpain.org.