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Traditional dentistry is based on mechanical
concepts that assume your present bite (occlusion) is
best for you. Neuromuscular Dentistry
takes into consideration a third dimension - the status
and function of the muscles that control jaw position
when chewing and in posture.
Upon consultations, Dr. Pedersen will
take a history of symptoms, e.g. back, shoulder, joint,
headache, ringing in the ears, tingling in fingertips,
vertigo and many more to assess if neuromuscular dentistry
can help you. We will take a series of diagnostic scans
of your jaw and how the muscles are functioning upon
swallowing, clenching and at rest (measuring muscle
activity).
The next step will be to relax the muscles
with a Tens device (transcutaneous electrical neural
stimulation). This technology allows us to relax and
drain fatigued muscles of lactic acid, re-establishing
blood and oxygen flow to tissues. Once you have Tens'd
for sixty minutes, optimum muscle relaxation has occurred
and we then take new scans to see where the bite is
in its most optimum resting place.
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| Orthotic Appliance |
According to this relaxed state, a putty
is placed on your teeth and a measurement is taken of
your bite. It is with this measurement that the laboratory
can fabricate an adjustable orthotic. This is a clear
appliance worn over the bottom teeth to help the jaw
find its natural resting place. This appliance doesn't
interfere with sleep or speech.
You will wear your orthotic for two weeks,
at that time you will return to Dr. Pedersen's office
to Tens for sixty minutes and have the orthotic adjusted
to the muscle rest position once again. This process
will be repeated over a period of three months at which
time you will be in an ideal bite position. Once symptoms
are relieved and the bite is in its natural position,
Dr. Pedersen can begin to restore your teeth to its
new bite.
Simple, non-invasive, pain-free...
all you have to do is relax.
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