How Does Jaw Alignment Affect So Many Parts of the Head, Face, and Body?

    PHILADELPHIA, PA, December 13, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- It may seem strange, but a condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) can actually impact the comfort and function of several parts of your body. How is it that TMD, an issue with the alignment of your jaw, could produce such a wide range of problems?

Your temporomandibular joint is the joint responsible for all the movement in your jaw. As such, it would naturally follow that any problems surrounding this joint would cause issues in the area around your jaw, and it does: including pain, swelling, and limited jaw mobility. However, improper jaw alignment can produce many other problems such as:

- Chronic headaches
- Neck, shoulder, and backaches
- Ear pain without infection
- Postural problems
- Digestive issues
- Dizziness and vertigo

An Intricate System

The muscles in your body make up an intricate system. When tension is placed on the muscles in your jaw from misalignment, they pull on surrounding muscles resulting in pain throughout the face, neck, and back. In a chain reaction, these newly impacted muscles strain surrounding muscles, which strain other nearby muscles, and so on. Ultimately this can cause postural changes and compressed internal organs, affecting proper digestion and nutrition.

As an additional problem, your trigeminal nerve runs directly through your jaw. This nerve is responsible for all of the sensation in your face. When pressure is placed on this nerve, it sends pain signals throughout your head, resulting in chronic headaches, ear pain, and other significant discomfort. This means that even the slightest misalignment in your jaw can have systemic consequences that may not even seem to point to TMD.

Detecting TMD

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms of TMD, even those that seem entirely unrelated, you should schedule an appointment with a neuromuscular dentist. A neuromuscular dentist can detect TMD and provide prompt treatments to help relieve any current discomfort and prevent serious future issues.

For more information on how neuromuscular dentistry in the Ardmore, Pennsylvania area can be used to help alleviate pain and discomfort throughout your body, please visit the website of Lindsey Marshall, DMD at www.lindseymarshall.com.

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