At the Center for Advanced Dentistry in Nashville, the success of our treatment requires taking the neuromuscular approach in everything we do. Neuromuscular dentistry differs from common dental practices in important and foundational ways.
Traditionally and currently, dentists tend to focus on teeth and gums. The neuromuscular approach goes further than traditional dentistry and bases much of its success on getting muscles and nerves to work harmoniously with your teeth and joints.
If you are in Nashville and need a dentist who relies on neuromuscular diagnostics to bring harmony to oral muscles and effectively end your dental discomfort, please contact our office online or call us directly at (615) 383-6787 to book an appointment with Dr. Forbes.
Our treatment options are presented for your consideration and give you a basic understanding of our do-no-harm strategy.
Achieving Oral Harmony with Neuromuscular Dentistry
For some people, teeth can be a hardship. For these people, neuromuscular dentistry provides solutions without unnecessary treatments or procedures.
Neuromuscular dentistry is concerned with the dynamic physical relationship between the range of motion, or posturing, of the joints in the head, neck, and body. While teeth are an important element in this relationship, their optimal performance and function is based on how well muscles work together.
Determining each individual’s correct jaw position is done scientifically, and can result in treatments that mean the difference between continued discomfort and a completely healthy person.
Clinically, Dr. Forbes looks beyond the teeth to the muscles of the jaw, which can play a profound role in the stress and pain associated with poor or improper oral function. Building up a person’s worn teeth or adjusting the angle of their teeth can solve many problems.
In order to properly treat, resolve and prevent aches and pains rooted in the teeth, mouth and jaw, our dentist’s mission is to identify what region or area the pain is coming from.
Some of the issues Dr. Forbes might survey during his evaluation include:
- Tooth decay, wear or trauma
- Past dental work
- Gum tissue health
- Jaw bone structure
- Facial muscle stresses
Our staff will also attempt to determine what circumstances stimulate a patient’s pain, and how long the issue has been going on.
Preventing and Treating TMJ
One of the common outcomes of an inharmonious relationship between teeth, muscles, and nerves is temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ or sometimes TMD). TMJ can be transitory and temporary or chronic and recurring. People with chronic, recurrent TMJ may experience regular symptoms that can be painful and inconvenient. Sometimes the symptoms may even be disabling. Some of the more common symptoms of TMJ include:
- Jaw pain
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Ear pain or fullness
Many people suffer with these symptoms for years, and try many different treatments before they realize that treatment by a neuromuscular dentist can relieve all these symptoms.
If you are in Nashville and need a dentist who relies on neuromuscular diagnostics to bring harmony to oral muscles and effectively end your dental discomfort, please contact the Center for Advanced Dentistry at (615) 383-6787 to book an appointment with Dr. Forbes.