Migraines and
Headaches - Have A Headache? See Your Dentist
June 13th, 2006
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Health |
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Do you or someone you know suffer
from chronic headaches or Migraines? Usually these people have seen a
variety of different doctors, with little if any relief. Their symptoms
are being treated, but the cause of the problem still persists. Ever
thought about seeing your dentist for a migraine?
Well that is just one of the
conditions that Neuromuscular dentistry is being used to treat.
Neuromuscular dentistry is one of the new technologies available in
dentistry today. It is different from regular dentistry in that it
focuses on the muscles of the jaw and neck and how they are related to
the teeth.
Neuromuscular dentistry recognizes
that the muscles that move the jaw must be in a comfortable, relaxed
position in order to not be in conflict with the teeth and jaw joint
i.e. we must have ” happy muscles.” ? Some of the symptoms that occur
when we do not have these” happy muscles” include: Headaches, Loose
teeth, Clenching or grinding, root abfractions, Pain or clicking and
popping in the jaw joints, Shoulder, neck, and back pain, Numbness in
arms and fingers, non-specific Facial pain, problems swallowing, hot or
cold sensitive teeth, Crowded teeth, Receding gums, Ringing or
congestion in the ears. A person could experience Migraine headaches and
no other symptoms for example, yet be suffering from a neuromuscular
dental problem.
There are a number of different
types of equipment used in neuromuscular dentistry to help us get a
person to a position of “Happy Muscles”. First, we must find a position
at rest that is most comfortable for the patient. . This is position
where the muscles are relaxed, regardless of where the teeth line up. A
device known as the Myo-monitor is used to help relax the patient’s
muscles. It is a low frequency T.E.N.S. (Transcutaneous Electrical
Neural Stimulation) unit. The Myo-monitor stimulates the Trigeminal
Nerve and The Facial nerve using a very mild electrical impulse.
This TENSing accomplishes 3 things.
First, it pumps waste metabolites and lactic acid away from the stressed
muscles. Second, it increases the blood flow to the muscle, which
increases the oxygen, glucose, and energy to the muscle itself. Finally,
it allows the jaw to relax into its ideal position. Tensing usually
takes 45- 60 minutes depending on how bad a patient’s symptoms are and
how tight their muscles are. Sometimes we will use an EMG machine to
measure the level of tightness in the different muscles. Before tensing,
the EMG shows how hyperactivity of the muscles. After TENSing there is
much less activity and the muscle are much “happier”.
After TENSing and finding the ideal position of the jaw where the
muscles are happy, we make an appliance called an orthotic to keep the
muscles in this position. Keeping the muscles in this position is very
important because it allows them to remain at their ideal length, which
prevents them from going into spasm. Again, we want to get to a state of
“Happy Muscles”.
Wearing the orthotic allows the
muscles to heal, pain to dissipate and/or disappear and the jaw joint to
heal. The orthotic is usually worn for 1-3 months to make sure the bite
is correct and that the symptoms disappear. Once the patient has become
symptom free, we make a decision about Phase 2 of treatment. The patient
may decide to wear the orthotic indefinitely, have orthodontic treatment
done to move teeth into the correct position have the teeth restored or
adjust the teeth to their ideal bite.
The following three patient cases
recently came to me for migraine treatment.
Alan is a 68-year-old male with a
history of migraine headaches 6-10 times per month for the past 25
years. “I had seen every imaginable type of doctor in the country,
including the Mayo clinic. Nothing would stop the headaches; just
control the pain with drugs. It got to the point where I had to carry
narcotics with me everywhere I went.” Alan was treated using
neuromuscular dentistry and is now virtually headache free. “I am so
happy with the results of my treatment. I am practically headache free
and don’t have to take any headache medications anymore. What a relief
after all these years.”
Barbara is a 43-year-old mom of
three with a history of headaches and stiff neck for the past 7 years.
She had seen numerous physicians, specialists, chiropractors and
acupuncturists over the years. “Nobody was able to stop the headaches
and I haven’t been able to move my neck completely for 1 and ˝ years. I
had to miss my 10 year old’s birthday party because of a migraine.” When
Barbara came to our office, she had a severe headache and a knot the
size of a golf ball in the muscles of her neck. We used the TENS unit on
her for 1 hr. “I couldn’t believe it. My headache had disappeared, the
knot in my neck was gone, and I could move my neck from side to side for
the first time in a year and a half.” Barbara has been virtually pain
free for the last 3 months, and is extremely happy with the results of
her orthotic use. “I can’t wait to have my mouth restored.”
Deaun had occasional migraines until
two years ago. ”I was at a comedy club with my husband and I felt a
migraine coming on. We left the club, went home and I went to bed. Ever
since then, the migraines have been pretty much all the time for the
last two years.” Deaun had been to numerous doctors with no resolution.
“They kept telling me that all they could do was give me pain
medication. Then I heard about Dr. Cohen. My husband didn’t think
anything would work, but I really wanted to try neuromuscular dentistry.
I am so glad that I did. My headaches have been reduced to about 1 every
6 weeks, and even my husband, the skeptic, is amazed at the improvement.
I am religious about wearing my orthotic and feel great.”
For more information go to
http://www.migrainedentistry.com
By A. Patric Cohen DDS, FAGDDr.
Cohen has been practicing cosmetic dentistry in Beverly
Hills since 1984. He graduated from Stanford University in
1980 and received his DDS degree at University of Southern
California in 1984. Dr. Cohen is a fellow in the Academy of
General Dentistry , a member of The American Academy of
Cosmetic Dentistry and a member of the International
Association of Comprehensive Aesthectics.
Available on Amazon
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