Acupuncture for TMD & Chronic Pain

When you’re suffering from TMJ pain or a full-blown TM Joint Disorder (TMD), with its tangle of head, face, jaw, neck and shoulder pain, getting rid of that pain is always the first priority. Ideally, this is accompanied by treatment of what’s causing the pain so that it stops. The easiest thing to do, of …

How One Way of Dealing with Stress Could Wind Up Stressing You Out

Stress is a normal part of life, but experience too much of it for too long, it starts to take a toll on your health.   julianrod/Flickr So we look for ways of managing it. We seek coping mechanisms, some of which can make us more stress-hardy (e.g., yoga, deep breathing, positive self-talk), and some …

Drugs and TMD

When the news came out late last week that Burt Reynolds had been in rehab for painkiller addiction, reports suggested previous drug abuse in the 1980s, “after he was diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorder, a painful condition which affected his jaw.” The drug was Halcion. Why a sleep med for dealing with TMD? If a …

A Look at the TMJ – Healthy, Functioning and Otherwise

The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is the “hinge” that allows your mouth to open and close, and you have one on each side of your head. Here’s what a healthy, functioning TMJ looks like:     If these joints get damaged or misaligned due to trauma or habits of clenching, grinding and bruxing, the result …

The Daily (and Nightly) Grind: A Fresh Look at a Pandemic Syndrome

by Gary M. Verigin, DDS, CTN These days, we’re seeing a lot of news stories that imply an increase in teeth grinding and jaw clenching due to stress from the current economic meltdown – almost as if these were relatively new phenomena. But actually, the story of grinding and clenching goes all the way back …

TMJ: Everybody’s Got It (Two of Them, Actually)

A new year, a new pet peeve. It began with a question posted at Yahoo Answers: Can you ever stop tmj? We certainly hope not! To say you want to “stop TMJ” is like saying you want to stop your elbow or knee or any other joint. For that’s what TMJ is – and all …

Useful Reviews on TMJ/TMD, Cell Phone – Cancer Risk & Dietary Supplement Trial Bias

Temporomandibuilar Disorders (TMD): An Overview (PDF; Oral Surgery) “TMD” is a catch-all term for problems involving the temporomandibular joint and associated structures. Common symptoms include joint noises, limited jaw movement, pain and muscle tenderness in the face, neck and shoulders, ear problems and various psychosocial issues. This recent paper from Oral Surgery gives a broad …

Laser therapy and TMD

More and more, lasers are being used in dentistry, sometimes in very innovative ways. For instance, one of the periodontists we refer to, Dr. Douglas Gilio in Visalia, uses a laser surgery protocol that can thoroughly sanitize periodontal pockets, which can help halt the progression of gum disease or guard against it. The laser also …