Symptoms
The Head Pain Institute treats the following symptoms.
- Neck Pain
- Mouth Pain
- Face, Neck, Jaw Tightness
- Mystery Tooth Pain
- Jaw Pain
- Burning Mouth and Tongue
- Muscle Pain
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Facial Nerve Pain
- Abnormal Bite Sensations
- Post Trauma Pain
- Post Surgery Pain
- Facial Pain
- Popping or Clicking Jaw
- Sleep Apnea
- Daytime Sleepiness
- Snoring
- Mystery Ear Pain
We focus on difficult cases as well as the hard to detect conditions such as:
Conditions
Temporomandibular Disorders (TMJ/TMD)These are a common subgroup of Orofacial Pain disorders, often incorrectly referred to as “TMJ”. TMJ is the commonly used abbreviation for temporomandibular joint or jaw joint. There are two basic types of TMD: Myogenous (muscle generated pain) and Arthrogenous (jaw joint generated pain).
TMD symptoms include pain or discomfort in or around the ear, jaw joint, and/or muscles of the jaw, face, temples and neck on one or both sides. The pain may arise suddenly or progress over months to years with intermittent frequency and intensity. Clicking, popping, grating (crepitus), locking, limited or deviant jaw opening and chewing difficulties are also associated with TMD.
Headaches
Identification of the type of headache is crucial to treatment; many headaches are triggered and maintained by muscle, nerve, or joint problems. Decreasing and controlling these triggers can decrease the frequency and/or intensity of the headaches.
The psychological component to headache and pain may necessitate the recommendation for biofeedback and or positive life changes.
Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, daytime sleepiness, and snoring can be treated at our office.
Sleep Apnea is a disorder where a person’s ability to breathe is impaired, resulting in a restless sleep and remaining tired all the time. If the patient has sleep apnea or has a surgical procedure to open the airway, repositioning the jaw during sleep may further assist in opening the airway even more. A Sleep Apnea appliance may be an alternative to patients that cannot tolerate.
Learn More About Sleep Disorders
Ear Pain
Many patients struggle with mystery ear pain for years before discovering that the root of their problem is associated with TMJ/TMD.
If you are experiencing ear pain and can’t seem to find an accurate diagnosis related to your symptoms, we encourage you to explore the possibility that TMJ/TMD is the root of the problem.