Important information for all patients with Sleep Disorders or TM Joint Disorders (TMD) is presented that is vital to patients with poor sleep or chronic pain, headaches or migraines.

CRANIO, The Journal of CranioMandibular Practice is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ, TMD, and related disorders. In a monumental move Riley Lunn the editor is changing the journal to Cranio Mandibular and Sleep Practice.  CRANIO is the first journal to embrace the close ties between TMJ Disorders, Chronic Pain and Sleep Disorders.

The entire editorial is available free of charge from Cranio at:
http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/crn.2013.001

This is vital information with all patients who have TMJ disorders, Fibromyalgia, Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction, Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Headaches and/or Migraines. Cranio is leading the way into a new world where these disparate disorders are all seen as different faces of similar closely related disorders.

The treatment of headaches and migraines and how Neuromuscular Dentistry can drastically improve the life of headache sufferers is discussed at I HATE HEADACHES …. www.ihateheadaches.org

Treatment of Sleep Apnea is primarily with CPAP and Oral Appliances. A side effect of oral appliance therapy is bite changes. Studies have shown that over long term treatment there are rarely TMD problems whether or not their are bite changes. The bite changes seen in treating sleep apnea with an oral appliance are similar to those seen when wearing a diagnostic neuromuscular orthotic. THESE CHANGES ARE ACTUALLY THE PHYSIOLOGIC HEALING THAT OCCURS DURING THE NIGHT WITH ORAL APPLIANCES. The normal advice is to do morning exercises to return the bite to its original pathology (I call this position pathologic because it does not allow for normal breathing the single most important function of the jaw, and tongue)

The use of Neuromuscular Diagnostic Orthotics combined with oral appliances for treating sleep apnea will allow more permanent changes to occur and this healed position may be the ultimate cure for sleep apnea. To better understand Neuromuscular Dentistry I suggest reading…..https://www.sleepandhealth.com/neuromuscular-dentistry

Permanent correction of the bite following the diagnostic phase and diagnostic neuromuscuar orthotic can be accomplished with orthodontics, dental reconstruction, long term orthotics and on rare occasions surgery. Patients seeking help with Sleep Apnea should seek out a practitioner trained in treating TMJ disorders, ideally a trained Neuromuscular Dentist.

Migraines, Morning Headaches and nocturnal headaches are usually associated with pathologic jaw positioning that does not maintain a healthy airway or with nociceptive input into the Trigeminal Nervous System. Neuromuscular Dentistry lets the clinician utilize sophisticated measurements to idealize bite and jaw position to physiogic healthy positions.

Learn more about Neuromuscular Dentistry at https://www.sleepandhealth.com/neuromuscular-dentistry