TMJ Pain, Clicking, Headaches, Neck or Back Problems? We Can Help. Jaw pain can be difficult to deal with and very painful. We’ve all had that occasional clicking or popping jaw sound that is, to say the least, alarming. We may even have had our jaw lock into an open or closed position for a brief moment. Now imagine living with symptoms occurring every hour of every day. Unbearable!

This daily jaw pain and discomfort is what many patients endure as a result of malocclusion and TMD. TMJ or TMD Symptoms include jaw pain, jaw-ear pain, jaw-neck pain, headaches etc. Jaw pain is often diagnosed as TMD or Temporomandibular Joint Disorder and is historically treated with TMJ surgery and other extreme and invasive techniques. While these methods sometimes work, they are always invasive and costly. At Braasch Dentistry we treat TMJ symptoms with neuromuscular dentistry, not surgery.

Many people don't realize that dental care involves much more than just the teeth and gums. Because teeth are part of the body's musculoskeletal system, a comprehensive dental evaluation should also address issues that affect the face, head, jaw, neck and back. But because traditional dentistry tends to focus only on the teeth and gums, a more focused area of specialization called neuromuscular dentistry (NMD) has emerged. NMD works with the muscles in these areas, and can treat pain and symptoms that contribute to everything from migraine headaches, TMJ disorder and tooth sensitivity to misalignment of the cervical spine.

It is an extraordinary dedication to the art and science of dentistry that prompts dentists to advance their training to the level of a neuromuscular specialty, and Dr. Braasch is one of those rare doctors. His training in NMD enables him to look beyond the obvious to the deeper causes of head and neck symptoms and effectively treat a variety of problems in these areas, including temporomandibular joint disorder (popularly known as TMJ or TMD). This is a common disorder in which the temporomandibular joint -- which connects the jaw to the skull -- is inflamed, damaged or strained. TMJ can also be called TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder) or MPD (myofascial pain dysfunction) but all of these terms mean basically the same thing.

Neuromuscular dentistry takes a holistic approach to dental care looking at bone and tooth position as well as skeletal muscle interaction. Dr. Braasch is one of a rare breed of dentists who has trained extensively to address TMJ / TMD pain via neuromuscular dentistry in his practice. With this specialized training, he is able to help patients find solutions to a wide range of cosmetic, reconstructive and routine dental care issues in addition to treating TMJ. Please feel free to call Dr. Braasch and his team to discuss your particular symptoms or questions.