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Headaches
Do you or someone you know suffer from chronic headaches or Migraines? Usually
these people have seen a variety of different doctors, with little if any relief. Their
symptoms are being treated, but the cause of the problem still persists. Ever
thought about seeing your dentist for a migraine? Well that is just one of the
conditions that Neuromuscular dentistry is being used to treat. Neuromuscular
dentistry is one of the new technologies available in dentistry today. It is different
from regular dentistry in that it focuses on the muscles of the jaw and neck and how
they are related to the teeth.
Neuromuscular dentistry recognizes that the muscles that move the jaw must be in
a comfortable, relaxed position in order to not be in conflict with the teeth and jaw
joint i.e. we must have ” happy muscles.” ? Some of the symptoms that occur when
we do not have these” happy muscles” include: Headaches, Loose teeth, Clenching
or grinding, root abfractions, Pain or clicking and popping in the jaw joints,
Shoulder, neck, and back pain, Numbness in arms and fingers, non-specific Facial
pain, problems swallowing , hot or cold sensitive teeth ,Crowded teeth , Receding
gums , Ringing or congestion in the ears. A person could experience Migraine
headaches and no other symptoms for example, yet be suffering from a
neuromuscular dental problem.
There are a number of different types of equipment used in Neuromuscular
dentistry to help us get a person to a position of “Happy Muscles”. First, we must
find a position at rest that is most comfortable for the patient. . This is position
where the muscles are relaxed, regardless of where the teeth line up. A device
known as the Myo-monitor is used to help relax the patient’s muscles. It is a low
frequency T.E.N.S. (Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation)unit. The Myo-
monitor stimulates the Trigeminal Nerve and The Facial nerve using a very mild
electrical impulse.
This TENSing accomplishes 3 things. First, It pumps waste metabolites and lactic
acid away from the stressed muscles. Second, it increases the blood flow to the
muscle, which increases the oxygen, glucose, and energy to the muscle itself.
Finally, it allows the jaw to relax into its ideal position. Tensing usually takes 45- 60
minutes depending on how bad a patients symptom are and how tight their muscles
are. Sometimes we will use an EMG machine to measure the level of tightness in the
different muscles. Before tensing ,the EMG shows how hyperactivity of the muscles.
After TENSing there is much less activity and the muscle are much “happier”.
After TENSing and finding the ideal position of the jaw where the muscles are
happy, we make an appliance called an orthotic to keep the muscles in this position.
Keeping the muscles in this position is very important because it allows them to
remain at their ideal length, which prevents them from going into spasm. Again, we
want to get to a state of “Happy Muscles”.
Wearing the orthotic allows the muscles to heal, pain to dissipate and/or disappear
and the jaw joint to heal. The orthotic is usually worn for 1-3 months to make sure
the bite is correct and that the symptoms disappear. Once the patient has become
symptom free, we make a decision about Phase 2 of treatment. The patient may
decide to wear the orthotic indefinitely, have orthodontic treatment done to move
teeth into the correct position, have the teeth restored or adjust the teeth to their
ideal bite.
The following three patient cases recently came to me for migraine treatment.
Alan is a 68-year-old male with a history of migraine headaches 6-10 times per
month for the past 25 years. “I had seen every imaginable type of doctor in the
country, including the Mayo clinic. Nothing would stop the headaches; just control
the pain with drugs. It got to the point where I had to carry narcotics with me
everywhere I went.” Alan was treated using neuromuscular dentistry and is now
virtually headache free. “I am so happy with the results of my treatment. I am
practically headache free and don’t have to take any headache medications
anymore. What a relief after all these years.”
Barbara is a 43-year-old mom of three with a history of headaches and stiff neck for
the past 7 years. She had seen numerous physicians, specialists, chiropractors and
acupuncturists over the years. “Nobody was able to stop the headaches and I
haven’t been able to move my neck completely for 1 and years. I had to miss my
10 year old’s birthday party because of a migraine.” When Barbara came to our
office, she had a severe headache and a knot the size of a golf ball in the muscles of
her neck. We used the TENS unit on her for 1 hr. “I couldn’t believe it. My headache
had disappeared, the knot in my neck was gone, and I could move my neck from
side to side for the first time in a year and a half.” Barbara has been virtually pain
free for the last 3 months, and is extremely happy with the results of her orthotic
use. “I can’t wait to have my mouth restored.”
Deaun had occasional migraines until two years ago. “I was at a comedy club with
my husband and I felt a migraine coming on. We left the club, went home and I went
to bed. Ever since then, the migraines have been pretty much all the time for the
last two years.” Deaun had been to numerous doctors with no resolution. “They kept
telling me that all they could do was give me pain medication. Then I heard about
Dr. Cohen. My husband didn’t think anything would work, but I really wanted to try
neuromuscular dentistry. I am so glad that I did. My headaches have been reduced
to about 1 every 6 weeks, and even my husband, the skeptic, is amazed at the
improvement. I am religious about wearing my orthotic and feel great.”
For more information go to www.dentalsedationcenter.com
Dr. Patric Cohen has been practicing cosmetic dentistry in Beverly Hills since 1984. He
graduated from Stanford University in 1980 and received his DDS degree at University
of Southern California in 1984. Dr. Cohen is a fellow in the Academy of General
Dentistry and a member of The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.
