J-man

Hey saaraah !

There seem to be a good number of people on this board who are finding some relief through neuromuscular dentists or you could say dentists who practice neuromuscular dentistry (myself included). It seems to make sense that if you can find a way to relax your jaw muscles on a consistent basis, which tens and other technologies can do fairly well, this is a good thing. However, I think that the neuromuscular approach may not be the best approach for all patients. For instance, some people may benefit more from using a repositioning splint.

For myself, I think I've benefitted from the treatments I've been receiving from my dentist for a number of reasons. The first is that he introduced me to low frequency tens, and I've since purchased my own unit, for use at home. It's really great to have something which on most days is able to provide me with some relatively predictable relief. If you aren't sure at this point whether a 'neuromuscular dentist' is for you, may I suggest possibly phoning one up and seeing if you can borrow a tens machine for a week, to use at home ?

The second reason why I think I've receieved help from a neuromuscular dentist, is that the splint he made for me is very thin, compared to most. For me, this has been much easier to tolerate wearing in my mouth. My dentist says that the diagnostic machinery he hooked me up to, was able to determine the maximum thickness, which my muscles would be able to tolerate having in my mouth.

Last of all, the fact that he has been willing to adjust my splint every 3-4 weeks, and sometimes more often that that, I believe has also played a role in me experiencing more consistent recovery than I would have, had he said, "see you in 2 months", which many dentist tend to say after adjusting a splint. (Actually my dentist has said this to me, but at least he has still been willing to see me more frequently than that...This has been a great blessing from God)

These have been the factors which I have found to be helpful to me in my tmj treatment. I very much hope that you are able to find a dentist near where you live, who will be able to help you find relief.

Have a great day and God bless !

John