The Head and Neck Diagnostic Center serves as a
resource to which you may refer patients suffering from Temporomandibular
(craniomandibular) joint dysfunction and related disorders as well as patients with
unresolved head, neck and facial pain.
It is also a resource to which you may refer patients
for evaluation, and treatment, if necessary, prior to undertaking orthodontics or
extensive prosthetic treatment.
The normal functioning of the temporomandibular joint
complex, even in the asymptomatic patient, is vital for long term success when entering
into any treatment which modifies the occlusion. If a pre-treatment problem exists, it is
vital to document it, understand it and use that knowledge in deciding the appropriateness
of your treatment with or without addressing the TMJ problem itself.
All Craniomandibular problems do not have to be
treated. It is the knowledge of the existence or non-existence of these problems that will
enable you to best place this problem into proper perspective as part of your total dental
approach.
The concepts of treatment and treatment protocol used
at the Center have helped thousands of sufferers over the years, many of whom had been
considered hopeless.
The most important part of any successful treatment is,
of course, the diagnosis which precedes it. With the understanding of the mechanism at the
root cause of the pain, an appropriate approach can be designed to address the problem.
The diagnosis of temporomandibular dysfunction is not one of solely of exclusion of other
possibilities, but instead is one which is based on history, symptom relationships, and objective
muscle, occlusal and functional findings. Specific types of radiographic
imaging and computer diagnostic techniques, if indicated, are
also used in the evaluation.
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction
Syndrome Evaluation and Treatment
