Modern Dentistry
McHenry, IL, McHenry County Dental Care
TMJ, Sleep Apnea, Mouthguards & Neuromuscular Dentistry

What is TMJ Syndrome?

The term TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. If you place your fingers just in front of your ears and open your mouth, you can feel the joint and its movement. TMJ Syndrome can cause a neck pain, facial pain, ear pain, headaches, a locked jaw and biting problems.

There are many causes for TMJ Syndrome. One of them is trauma, which includes occurrences like a punch to the face. Another is bruxism, which includes teeth grinding. If someone bites on things while they were awake, such as pencils or fingernails, it is known as clenching. Sometimes the jaw joint undergoes arthritic changes known as osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint inflammation and can destroy cartilage and erode bone, especially in children.

Symptoms are plentiful. Signs include pain radiating to the neck or shoulders, muscle spasms, facial swelling, trouble swallowing, nausea and dizziness. Sometimes the pain is so severe that even talking, chewing or yawning can cause discomfort. TMJ syndrome can also cause tinnitus and hearing loss, so please be on the lookout for any clicking, popping or grating sounds when your jaw moves.

Oral Appliance Therapy Helps You Feel Rested Again

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the soft tissue in one’s throat relaxes, thus blocking the airway. The lapses in breathing can last up to one full minute and will cause choking, snorting and gasping sounds. In addition to the annoyance of loud snoring, OSA is dangerous. If left untreated, it leads to daytime sleepiness and increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and a number of other detriments.

Oral Appliance Therapy is the use of custom-made devices that reposition the tongue and lower jaw forward, allowing an open airway for unobstructed breathing. Dentists can fit you with one of these if weight loss, surgery, and positional therapy (sleeping on one’s side instead of back) are not options. The CPAP, which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, and is a common device for sleep apnea, but many people cannot tolerate it.

One telltale sign that you may have OSA is severe snoring, although it in itself doesn’t threaten your health. When the soft tissue structures of the upper airway collapse during sleep, the throat tissues vibrate against each other causing this sound. The more narrow the airway space, the louder the snoring is. About 50% of loud snorers have sleep apnea. It is wise to undergo a sleep study, or polysomnogram, to determine if you have OSA. In the meantime, you can work with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which applies a range of 0-4 to a series of questions about your tiredness to determine if you could have OSA.

The Makkar Pure Power Mouthguard Takes Your Game to the Next Level

Athletes are always pursuing that edge, no matter what the sport is. They seek some natural advantage that will enable them to train and perform better than the rest. An inch, a step, a split-second, or a tad more flexibility can make a huge difference. Thousands have already benefited from the Makkar Pure Power Mouthguard, a sports appliance that is custom-designed and manufactured to each individual user.

Inventor and dentist Dr. Anil Makkar designed it to naturally align to each individual athlete’s jaw. The principles of neuromuscular dentistry indicate that a good bite occurs when the muscles of the face, jaw and neck are at a state of rest. When so, there is an immediate improvement in posture, range of motion, flexibility, balance and strength, endurance and oxygen flow. Users have even reported faster recovery times.

Please visit www.makkaradvantage.com for testimonials from many star athletes who have benefited substantially from the Makkar PPM. Call us today for more information.

Neuromuscular Dentistry - Muscle Testing - Headache/Migraine Therapy

While traditional dentistry aims to keep your bite in tact, Neuromuscular Dentistry focuses on the function of the muscles that control your jaw position, chewing and swallowing. Specialized computerized equipment measures in detail the pattern of your jaw’s opening and closing, as well as the activity of the key muscles both in function and at rest. With this important data, your dentist can decide if your jaw position (bite) should remain in place or be moved to a more ideal position.

Thankfully for patients, these tests are comfortable and non-invasive. A Computerized Mandibular Scan (CMS) applies a tiny magnet to your lower gum, which works with sensors on headgear to gather data. Your muscle activity is monitored with Surface Electromyography (SEMG), which is much like an electrocardiogram. To study the sounds of your jaw joints, Electrosonography (ESG) uses a headset with microphone-like sensors that detect vibrations when you open and close your mouth. A truly relaxed jaw allows for more accurate results, so sometimes a stimulator device called a Myomonitor is used before these tests.