Neuromuscular Dentistry

Philadelphia, Main Line, and Ardmore, Pennsylvania

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD/TMJ)

Millions of people have TMD and suffer from its painful or uncomfortable symptoms without knowing what causes those symptoms. How can this be addressed?

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) is an unbalanced bite. Persistent pain in the jaw and face can have a negative effect on many aspects of your life and TMD symptoms can affect many areas of your body. They may not at first seem to be connected with each other or with your bite.

Dr. Marshall has been trained in the diagnosis and treatment of TMD, and has graduated from the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI), the world’s premier school for post-graduate dental training. She has completed rigorous theoretical and hands-on training in neuromuscular dentistry and has acquired state-of-the-art technology for practicing it.

The Puzzle of TMD

Many people who suffer from TMD may become so used to its discomfort that they don’t think to seek any treatment; or if they have the chronic TMD headaches, they may mistake them for migraines and seek pain relief from their physician. It is a good idea to speak to your physician and make sure than your symptoms do not have a medical cause. Then contact Dr. Marshall to see if they might have a dental cause.

The muscles, nerves, tendons and bones of your face and mouth are designed to work together for effective biting and chewing, and for a comfortable resting position when not in action. The lower jaw pivots in a ball-and-socket joint just in front of each ear.

The jaw joints are delicate in that they can be rather easily thrown out of alignment. Then the jaw muscles must strain to hold even a resting bite position and symptoms can develop. Please see Neuromuscular Dentistry for information on TMD causes and symptoms.

TMD Diagnosis

After a thorough dental examination, Dr. Marshall will use our specialized technology to measure and record:

• Jaw muscle activity
• Jaw movements
• Jaw joint sounds

She may use our TENS unit (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) to administer mild electrical shocks to the jaw muscles that will relax them. It may be the first time in many years that your jaw muscles have assumed their correct, relaxed position, and the pain relief can be tremendous. When she determines your relaxed jaw position, Dr. Marshall has established the goal of your TMD treatment – making that position permanent.

TMD Treatment

To permanently relax your jaw position and movement, the jaw muscles need to be re-trained and the factors that have been maintaining the misalignment must be removed. Your treatment plan will be entirely customized. It may include:

• Use of a custom-made orthotic that you can wear at night to hold the lower jaw in its correct position and prevent tooth grinding or jaw clenching;
• Periodic pain relief using the TENS unit – in some cases, a TMD sufferer will purchase their own TENS unit for home use;
• Dental work to correct malocclusion – this may include porcelain crowns to give a new shape and size to a particular tooth, or Invisalign to re-align many teeth; or replacement of old fillings that are interfering with how your upper and lower teeth meet. They can be replaced with porcelain fillings to enhance your smile.
• Referral for orthodontic work if you have severely misaligned teeth that cannot be remedied with Invisalign;
• Referral for physical therapy or chiropractic work if your neck vertebrae have become misaligned and are causing persistent neck, back, or shoulder pain.

Before any treatment is begun, Dr. Marshall will discuss your TMD and dental status with you and give you a printout from our K-7 Evaluation System that presents the data clearly. She will explain the best treatment options and answer your questions, making sure that you understand and agree with your eventual treatment plan.

For information on how we can help with financing, please see the Affordability page. More information on TMD can be found at Questions About TMD/TMJ.

You do not need to suffer the painful condition of TMD, since modern dentistry has developed excellent ways of diagnosing and treating it. Dr. Marshall can restore your correct jaw position and bite, enhancing your smile in the process, and relieve you of the chronic discomfort and pain of misaligned jaw joints.

The first step is to contact our neuromuscular dentistry office for a private consultation with Dr. Marshall. We serve the Philadelphia, Main Line, and Ardmore, Pennsylvania area and we hope to work with you soon.

602 The Times Building
Suburban Square
Ardmore, PA 19003
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