When thinking about dentistry, common topics that come to mind include the usual terms: crown, root canal, fillings, whitening, etc. Neuromuscular dentistry, on the other hand, concerns itself with how a proper, aligned bite affects not only the head, jaw, and neck, but the patient’s health as a whole. Recent scientific discoveries have shown that a misaligned bite is implicated in many of the aches and pains associated with living in a hectic, modern world.
Occlusion, or how a person’s bite aligns at rest, is not often discussed in terms of how it can dramatically effect—good or bad—the health of the whole person. The collapse of a proper aligned bite, either through tooth loss, or the altered growth and development of face and jaw, often create hypertonicity, or increased tension of the muscles. This increased tension of the muscles hampers the proper movement of the head, neck and jaw and cause upper airway problems.
Neuromuscular dentistry takes a physiologic approach (opposed to mechanical) to establish an occlusal (bite) position from which treatment is started. Thinking in terms of a chewing system, that is composed of three parts: the teeth, muscles/nerves (which move the jaw), and the Tempromandibular Joint (TMJ, the “jaw joint”), regardless of the accommodative capacity of the muscles involved with the TMJ, the most dominant part of this system is the teeth. Every human being must bring his or her teeth together several thousand times a day—often at the expense of one or more parts of the system—to swallow, chew and speak. The occlusion of teeth, or bite, and the cervical spine are two very significant links in the postural chain. The TMJ, which is influenced by both, is stuck between the proverbial “rock and a hard spot”.
Pathological conditions (pain and/or noise) in the joint occur because the joint must accommodate both occlusion and cervical dysfunctions, which cause joint derangements. Even more frequently (~80% of the time) muscles of the neck, face, and jaws are implicated as the source of the pain, either directly or via myofacial trigger points. Many headache researchers have failed to acknowledge that there is a myofacial trigger point to tension and most migraine headaches.
A lot can be learned from looking at the head, which weighs an astonishing 15 lbs. in an adult. The Neuromuscular dentist views the head from the front and side to see that it is correctly centered over the body. With a poor unbalanced occlusion (bite), there’s often a thrust forward in the head position, where the ears are forward of the center of the shoulders, increasing the “felt weight” of the head to approx 30 lbs. People commonly say, “I carry my stress in my shoulders”; by this analysis, you can clearly understand why.
Neuromuscular dentists have found that a misaligned bite sets up a cascade of alterations in posture at the parallel planes (shoulders/hips/feet) to keep the head in a position where the horizontal gaze of the eyes is parallel to the horizon. Conversely, the bite can be altered by addressing unequal bone lengths in one leg relative to the other.
Symptoms of a misaligned bite can be far-reaching, including headaches, dizziness, ear ringing, neck pain, lower back pain, tingling in the fingers, plugged ears, tiredness in the face, neck, and throat, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, or worn/chipped front teeth.
With the help of sophisticated sensors and instrumentation, neuromuscular dentistry seeks to properly align the bite. Then, with the help of other complementary health professionals, it works to restore alignment and balance to the body. Of course, injuries, age, and existing conditions may limit correct posture, but neuromuscular dentistry can still optimize the current condition and set a patient off on a new direction in overall health and well-being.
References:
1. Travell J, Myofacial Pain and Dysfunction 2nd ed.
2. Jankelson R, Neuromuscular Dental Diagnosis
3. Garry J, Upper Airway Comprommise and Musculoskeletal Dysfunction of the Head and Neck
4. Thomas N, Neuromuscular Occlusion, Aurum News Vol 18, issue 3
5. Bakris G, Journal of Human Hypertension (2007) Atlas vertebra realignment and Achievement of arterial pressure goal in hypertensive patients
For more info, contact Dan Mannikko, DDS at (775) 825-8366.
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