Neuromuscular Dentistry
at Melbourne St Dental Studio
When you think of your oral health, your teeth most likely come to mind. But the gums and jaws are just as important. If your bite doesn’t come together as it should, the joints and muscles will work to accommodate them.
Neuromuscular dentistry, available at Melbourne St Dental Studio, considers the whole system that is responsible for the function and position of the jaw. We seek to establish a position for the jaw that is based on the relationship of the three main factors that affect your bite—the teeth, jaw joints, and muscles. The resulting position is referred to as the neuromuscular bite.
Aligning Your Bite for Better Health
There are different treatment types available that can correct a misaligned bite, improve your smile, or relieve painful conditions. To create your optimum bite, we’ll evaluate the relationship between your muscles, jaw joints, and teeth. Dentists are uniquely qualified to provide neuromuscular dentistry, as there is a link between oral health and the overall health of the body. Neuromuscular, or physiologic, dentistry optimizes your body’s physiology, restoring the balance and creating harmony between the nervous system and muscle systems that coordinate the function of the jaw and its connection with the body.
NEW PATIENTS
Disorders of the Jaw
The muscles of the jaw can be overworked to maintain your bite, even when you think that they’re relaxed. Your head posture affects your bite, too, and the muscles that control the posture of your head are in the upper back and neck. It’s no wonder, then, that these conditions lead to problems such as a misaligned bite, muscle dysfunction and pain, and issues in the jaw joints. We can examine your jaw position and alter your bite to make sure the muscles are relaxed.
Temporomandibular (TMJ) Disorder
There are many concerns that neuromuscular dentistry deals with, such as cosmetic and orthodontic improvements and bite misalignments. TMJ, or TMD disorder, is the most commonly treated. If you suffer from it, your symptoms likely include:
- Clenching and grinding the jaw
- Clicking or popping in the jaw
- Frequent headaches and migraines
- Limited movement of the jaw
- Neck and facial pain
- Unrestful sleep
How Or When Is NMD Performed?
At Melbourne Street Dental Studio South Brisbane, Dr. Andrea Perdis, who has been specifically trained in NMD by the Las Vegas Institute, can apply this method of treatment to various services.
NMD Can Be Applied To:
- Improve the symmetry of your smile
- Full mouth reconstruction
- Denture Construction
- All on 4 or 6 implants
- Orthotropics or Orthodontics
- Sleep or Airway Conditions
- Painful TMD conditions
To provide you with an optimum bite that gives you a beautiful smile according to the Principles of Golden Proportions as well as healthy muscles and joints.
Dr. Andrea Perdis will begin with:
- A comprehensive evaluation
- Photos and study models
For pain or OSA patients this will also include:
- An evaluation of the Jaw Complex or TMD
- Watermark Questionnaire
- TMD Questionnaire
- CBCT Scan
- Computerized Muscle Jaw Joint Evaluation (K7)
NMD begins with a Myomonitor or TENS device that relaxes the muscles of the face, jaws, shoulders, and neck. The muscle stimulator delivers mild electrical stimuli to the muscles to lightly “exercise” the muscles and cause them to relax or lengthen.
Dr. Andrea Perdis may perform tests utilizing computerized technology to study the patterns of your jaw opening and closing motion, the activity of key muscles in real-time, as well as information about your jaw health.
This information can be used as a guide to assist in determining your ideal physiologic jaw position when making decisions about various treatments such as smile reconstruction or orthodontics as well as pain relief.
Dr. Andrea Perdis may discuss the construction of a temporary bite appliance or orthotic while you adjust to your new physiologic bite prior to more complex permanent work as mentioned above.
Want to Learn More?
Contact us today to book an appointment or learn more about neuromuscular dentistry South Brisbane!
