The other day I had one of my favorite patients on my table complaining of a tooth ache. She asked if I knew a good dentist so I told her about my mine, Dr. Ashish Arya, and how great his staff, Lena and Corby are. I proceeded to adjust her neck and jaw, etc. and gave her a card for Dr. Ashish.I followed up with her last night and she told me that when Dr. Ashish did the exam, not only was there nothing wrong with the teeth, but she did not have any discomfort or pain. He gave her some stretches for the jaw and sent her on her way.
Though not an every day occurrence, a tooth ache that is really jaw dysfunction does happen frequently. The technical term for the joints of the jaw are the temporomandibular joints (TMJ). Dysfunction is known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) or TMJ syndrome. (Side note: I hear people say they have TMJ, a lot. I always chuckle because everyone has TMJ. What they mean is that they have TMJ syndrome.)
TMD or TMJ Syndrome can be very painful. The temporomandibular joint is a very sensitive joint. Dysfunction can cause headaches, tooth aches, mouth pain, face pain, popping or clicking, and even earaches.
Chiropractic adjustments have been very effective in managing TMD. I work on the jaw and surrounding musculature on a good portion of my patients with great success. So, the next time that you get an earache, headache, or toothache, check with your chiropractor, it could be your jaw!
***Photo by Ashley Piszek on Unsplash