One of our success stories that really stands out is the daughter of one of my friends. The friend and my wife go way back – about 20 years – and that friend sent her daughter to see me earlier this year. She told me that her daughter was in so much pain that when she came home at night, she could do little more than curl up in a ball and cry herself to sleep. This young woman had already been to dozens of doctors over the years and could not function much longer with so much head and neck pain. She was even thinking that life was not worth it. We were able to figure things out pretty quickly and within a month she was feeling better than she had in years. This is how debilitating TMJ disorders can be and how remarkable it is when they are fixed.

Of course, there are failures – unfortunately, most of those are with the people who have been in really bad shape for too many years. The goal is always to avoid surgery but sometimes no matter what we do (appliance therapy, massages, laser treatments, etc.) we cannot get the disc back in place or it is already perforated. The analogy that I tell patients is that they should imagine their car having an oil leak, loud muffler, brake fluid leak, smoke-belching, etc. and the mechanic trying to fix it all to restore your car. This is just too much for any mechanic to totally fix. All you can do is hope for the best. In most cases, there can be some degree of improvement. This is how TMJ treatment can be at times. You hope for the best in a bad situation. In almost all cases, however, improvement is seen, and I am thankful and grateful for that.

As we close out 2023, I am grateful for the support of our friends, families and team members who have made all of our efforts so successful. My core team members are well aware of how much I appreciate their hard work and going beyond what is expected of them. We are now in a position to further spread the word about what we can do to help people improve their lives. Our office will be expanding as many of you have already seen when you visit. We will have a bit more space to be able to prepare the treatment rooms in advance of your visit to make sure our ‘on-timeness’ is really top-notch!

So, we end this wonderful year with good friends and family all around us. May you all have a most excellent 2024 and God Bless.

Dr. Jeff Brown

The post The End of Another Year is Here first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

Now, let’s explore the implications of exercise and its impact on the effectiveness of TMD treatment. Engaging in activities such as running can subject the neck to significant impact, leading to compression of the spinous processes. Consequently, this compression can adversely affect the temporomandibular (TM) joints. Therefore, it is generally not advisable to engage in running while undergoing TMD treatment. An alternative to running is the use of an elliptical machine. This low-impact device provides an excellent cardiovascular workout without putting strain on the neck. It is crucial to prioritize the well-being of the TM joints and cervical spine during the exercise routine.

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TMJ Disorder and Exercise

The post TMJ Disorder and Exercise first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

So now let’s discuss the ramifications of exercise and how it can and will affect the outcome of TMD treatment. When a person runs, as you can well imagine, the neck takes a pounding which compresses the spinous processes. This can, and will, in turn affect the TM joints. This is why running during TMD treatment is really not recommended. An alternative to running is the elliptical machine. This is a no impact device that allows for a great cardiovascular workout with no compaction to the neck. You have to keep your mind on improving the health of those joints and cervical spine.

Another aspect of exercise is weightlifting of course. Most people really do not want to hear that they should not be lifting weights during their course of TMD treatment. The reason for this is that when you lift something fairly heavy, this pulls on the neck muscles- the sternocleidomastoids. These muscles connect directly into the jaw joint and will pull on a displaced disc. You can well imagine that is not a good thing. Another factor is that lifting above shoulder level causes the body to pull more on the neck than it should. This can hurt the joints as well. Once again, this type of exercise will compromise your ability to heal.

Now let’s bring up a four-letter word that comes up quite often: GOLF. So here you are newly retired, living in a house at the country club, new to the game, or just looking to a retirement in place where you can play golf every day of the week. Along comes the TMJ specialist who tells you not to play until you are better. You have a choice: Get better or not. One path means that you must take a hiatus from using those amazing Ping custom made clubs and telling your friends about the hole in one you got. The best choice is to sit at home and use the elliptical machine and get better. This problem occurs whether it’s golf, tennis, or pickleball. You must make a choice and live with it for some time.  This is not permanent but when you get back into it, you may find your stroke and strength improved. As you can see, dealing with TMD takes some effort. For some folks it means sacrificing their normal activities so it’s good to understand all this before treatment begins.

The post TMJ Disorder and Exercise first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

Did you know that a gorgeous smile with great teeth and well-supported Temporomandibular joints also means less neck pain?  It’s so true! Time and time again it has been shown that losing a tooth means that the structural integrity of the cervical spine is compromised. This is why it is not advisable to remove any teeth unless completely necessary. In so many cases, it is necessary to remove the patient’s wisdom teeth.  For this reason, many people would benefit from wearing the ALF appliances to maintain support of the bones of the skull during the healing process. When wisdom teeth are removed, the research indicates there will be about 16 square centimeters of holes in the skull and the bone has a tendency to collapse from this. The ALF appliance will help to support the bones of the skull and more readily allow the bone to fill into the holes created by the extractions, without causing a collapsing effect.

In the past, it was much more commonplace to have all your teeth pulled out and have dentures made. The problem with the denture route is that most of the time the dentist’s lab uses a type of plastic material and the dentures have a tendency to wear down quite quickly. What happens next is the top of the jaw – the condyle – will more readily jam into the socket and we have more TMD problems. This is why it is good to avoid dentures and go the implant route.

When a person has implants done, it would be wise to get the implant crowns to the proper height. This would require working with someone like a TMJ specialist who understands that the condyles must be in the right place to protect the joints from degeneration. By paying attention to the vertical height of the implant crowns, this will allow the patient to feel better with their brand-new smile!

Another facet of dealing with a gorgeous smile is that a great smile looks better if the bones in your skull are more balanced and symmetrical. When you think about it, it kind of makes sense. If your cranial bones are level, the body is happier and looks better. Again, this is what the ALF wire is all about – symmetry and balance – and this creates a more beautiful appearance too.

So, make sure that beautiful smile translates into a beautiful and healthy YOU!

The post The Case of Why We Need a Gorgeous Smile (From a TMJ Perspective) first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

TMJ and sleep disorders are very common but not really understood.  This can explain why myths or misconceptions are out there.  The other side of this coin is this is also commonly misdiagnosed because symptoms vary from person to person and are similar to other problems.  One example of similarities is with Lyme Disease.  This is caused by a tick bite and the symptoms could be chronic headaches or migraines, jaw pain and tingling in the hand or fingers, notable symptoms of TMJ disorder. The big difference is Lyme disease does not have the clicking and popping or vertigo symptoms of TMJ disorder.  There are other examples as well; migraines, Trigeminal Neuralgia (short, sharp pain from touching of the jaw joint), or even a Ganglion Cyst (on the TM joint causing swelling and jaw pain).

Just remember all of us get sore muscles from time to time. The big difference is when the muscles in your jaw joints get sore and the soreness does not go away.  This is when you should ask your dentist for a referral. Otherwise, you could be prolonging the unnecessary pain or soreness and allowing the disc to possibly become further damaged.  TMJ disorder does affect other parts of your body. The myth of no popping or clicking means no TMJ disorder is not true.  These displaced discs can cause other symptoms of neck pain, backache, loss of balance, or hearing loss without the clicking or popping.

Another common myth is that TMJ disorder is harmless and that living with it will not cause problems.  It is true this condition is non-life-threatening but at the same time, it should be addressed.  Some possible development would be bruxism.  This process causes grinding of your teeth and clenching, wearing down your tooth’s enamel, and can cause sleep issues.  If the tooth enamel is worn down, then the potential of decay or tooth loss becomes greater.

For the sleep side of things, sleep can be interrupted by the clenching and grinding of your teeth.  Interrupted sleep or waking up unrefreshed is a symptom of both TMJ disorder and sleep apnea. It is not considered just a sleep issue.  The myth of sleep issues coming with age is not exactly true.  The aging process does decrease the tone in muscles and the airway muscles are not immune to this. The muscles in the airway no longer hold the jaw in the correct place and in turn, the airway becomes restricted. Your body is now fighting harder to breathe.  The use of a CPAP as the only treatment for sleep apnea is another myth.  The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has determined that an oral sleep appliance is very effective for mild to moderate apnea index.  This index tells us how many times your sleep is interrupted within a night.  The Epworth scale (tiredness level) in conjunction with the apnea index can determine if the oral appliance will be effective.

An interesting myth, sleeping on your side cures sleep apnea, actually helps with sleep apnea but does not cure it. By sleeping on your side, the tongue is not relaxed enough to obstruct the airway by falling back into the throat creating a blockage.  The tongue is off to the side allowing air to pass through the airway.  This is noted with mild cases of sleep apnea.  The side sleeping is most definitely not a cure but is recommended a lot for “positional apnea”.

There are so many more myths out there for both TMJ and sleep disorders.  Always consult with your dentist or physician when it comes to these issues.  You do want to address these symptoms because both these conditions will affect your brain and in turn affect cognitive functions, generating higher stress, and possible memory loss.

The post Myths about TMJ and Sleep first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.