Temporomandibular joint disorders [TMD] are conditions in which your bite is misaligned, causing many serious and often painful health problems. You will see that the acronyms TMJ and TMD are often used interchangeably, but they will also be used to distinguish between joints [TMJ] and actual joint disorders [TMD].

One of the most painful and debilitating symptoms of TMD is migraine. Many doctors, even neurologists, do not have the dental training needed to diagnose TMJ [temporomandibular joint] problems and their relationship to migraine. Neuromuscular dentistry is a branch of dentistry that helps people correct jaw problems that cause them pain for years or even decades.

TMD causes migraine because the trigeminal nerve is one of the most powerful and complex nerves in the human body. This nerve is the complete cause of temporomandibular joint and tooth function, accounting for more than 40% of brain treatment. The trigeminal nerve has three branches, all affecting the face, head, shoulders and arms. Pain and muscle tension associated with TMD can even affect your hands and fingers.

The pain associated with TMD can be sharp, hot or dull and constant. The pain is usually above the joint in front of the ear, but it can radiate elsewhere and cause muscle spasms attached to the skull, face and jaw bones. Some of the most notable symptoms of TMD are:

·Limited jaw movement

·Lock, click and pop the chin

· Finger tingling or numbness

·hard to swallow

·insomnia

·headache

·The jaw muscles are stiff or tight

· Ear problems, including ringing and pressure

· neck, shoulder and back pain

Many times, patients see a doctor with severe headaches and medications to treat headaches; however, there is usually no treatment for what actually causes headaches. Neuromuscular dentistry is a specialized area of ​​dentistry that treats the causes of painful headaches associated with mandibular misalignment, not just symptoms.

TMD and migraine was originally published on Spring