The same way an imbalanced tire can pull your car steering out of line, tension in the muscles of your face can alter the natural position of your jaw.

When your mouth doesn’t open and close as it should, the hinges in your jawbone—known as the temporomandibular joints (TMJ)—can become irritated and painful. Common symptoms of TMJ problems include severe headaches, pain in the neck and back, a clicking jaw, ringing in the ears, and worn teeth.

Neuromuscular dentistry is a painless means of reducing or eliminating TMJ symptoms by finding the ideal resting position for your jaw. At Metropolitan Dental, we use the K7 Evaluation System to measure the way your jaw moves and help it ease into this optimal position.

The system has several components. One is a computerized scanner that measures the movement of your jaw and the speed at which it opens and closes; the second records the electrical impulses emitted by your jaw muscles; and the third analyzes clicking and grinding sounds from your TMJ.

A TENS unit comes into play after we’ve determined exactly how your jaw should sit at rest. It stimulates the nerves that control your facial muscles using a mild electronic impulse that mimics the pulsing action of a massage.

This relaxes your jaw muscles completely—not only alleviating any discomfort but also enabling us to create a custom mouthpiece called an orthotic that will support your jaw into this comfortable position either throughout the day or when you are sleeping.