For veterans of the armed forces, adjusting to life post-service or post-tour can be filled with unique challenges. Especially if that veteran must also deal with the aftermath of combat injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or both. In addition to primary injuries, many veterans also face what is known as a comorbid pain condition - that is, a chronic condition that occurs in tandem with another chronic condition.

Imagine if there were a single device that would let you tighten and tone your face muscles, create a chiseled jawline, and maybe even eliminate or reduce signs of temporomandibular joint disorder and sleep apnea. Well, if you believe the hype for the Jawzrsize device, you may have just found it.

For the nearly 25 percent of people around the globe who suffer from the debilitating disorder known as temporomandibular jaw disorder, or TMD, finding relief can become an all-consuming effort. Temporomandibular joint disorder is a condition of the temporomandibular joint of the jaw, which causes jaw pain, stiffness, difficulty speaking and chewing, tinnitus, neck and back pain, and even migraine headaches.

Having a surgical procedure is stressful for anyone, but when you have temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD, surgical procedures can be extra problematic, especially when your jaw won’t open wide enough to accommodate a breathing tube. But a clinical trial at the Houston-based Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center hopes to change that.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who suffer from temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD, you'd probably do just about anything to get fast relief. That could explain the soaring popularity of a controversial new TMD treatment, which uses the cosmetic injectable Botox to stop the temporomandibular joint from clenching up, helping to ease the pain and stiffness caused by TMD.

Temporomandibular joint disorder (or TMD) affects approximately 10 million Americans, but treating the disorder can often be a challenge. That’s because many people don’t even realize they have TMD in the first place. Temporomandibular joint disorder occurs in the jaw and affects the TMJ, jaw bones and many of the connective muscles. Symptoms of TMD can include headaches, jaw pain, jaw clicking, teeth grinding, neck pain, difficulty chewing, difficulty speaking and difficulty opening and closing the mouth. But many TMD sufferers never realize they have the condition, because the symptoms come and go, and some, like teeth grinding and jaw clicking, can happen without you even realizing it.

Are you a fan of HGTV shows like Fixer Upper, where experts show average Americans just how easy it is to "do it yourself," or DIY, home renovations? Well, it may be easy to install your own tile backsplash or create the perfect accent wall, but there are some things that really are best left to the experts. One of those things is the treatment of your temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD. Here’s why.A quick Google search for at-home TMD treatments can easily yield dozens of results. At-home, one-size-fits-all orthotics can be purchased online and at the pharmacy for as little as $15. When you compare that to the cost of a complete neuromuscular dentistry treatment and possible full-mouth reconstruction, it seems like you’re getting an amazing deal. But the truth isn’t always what it seems.Save Your Money - Or Your SmileFifteen bucks to treat a TMD seems like a bargain until you realize that A) it won’t work, and B) it will probably end up making your TMD worse. So not only are you out the $15, but you still must also treat your TMD professionally, and it may even end up costing you more money depending on how much damage the OTC treatment caused.One Size Doesn’t Fit AllHow many times have you seen something that claims to be "one size fits all" only to buy it and find that it most certainly doesn’t? That’s because we’re all built differently - and even the more modern "one size fits most" can be misleading with so many variations in body types.And just like those drug store sunglasses that don’t quite sit properly on your nose or that sun hat you bought that constantly falls in your eyes, contrary to what these orthotic manufacturers would like you to believe, their "one-size-fits-all" approach to TMD treatment can’t work, either.That’s because there is no "one size fits all" solution to TMD. For starters, everyone’s mouth is shaped differently. Our jaws, teeth, bite and temporomandibular joints are all different - and so are our specific problems. Even with neuromuscular dentistry, the same treatment plan that helped your brother may not do anything for you – or it might make your TMD worse.But What About Boil and Bite?A lot of people think they can get professional results from a "boil and bite" aligner. These mouth guards are roughly the same shape as your jaw, but you can customize them further by boiling them and then biting into the softened material inside. This creates a perfect fit to your teeth - and only your teeth. In theory, this sounds like a great idea, but these aligners are really designed for athletes who must protect their teeth during a sport or strenuous physical activity. And while these OTC aligners are somewhat customized, treating a TMD is about more than just protecting your teeth.Aside from a boil and bite aligner not accounting for every piece of what is often a multi-faceted problem, these aligners also have the potential to make TMDs worse. That’s because if they don’t account for individual issues within the TMD, they could actually push your jaw further out of alignment. Remember that part about one size not fitting all? Well, if your jaw needs to move slightly forward and your best friend’s needs to move a little backward, if you use the same OTC aligner that pushes your jaw forward, her jaw will get worse and yours might get worse too if it's pushed too far or not forward enough. Worse yet, you could force your bite out of alignment in such a way that requires orthodontic correction further down the road!The Neuromuscular Dentistry DifferenceSo, what is the solution? Neuromuscular dentistry is the most effective way to treat TMDs, often to the point of completely eliminating your symptoms. We do this by treating not just one area of the mouth, such as the bite or the jaw, but every area affected by the TMD, so that all the pieces of the mouth and jaw work together harmoniously. This not only corrects every problem caused by or causing the TMD pain, but it also helps ensure that the TMD stays away permanentlyNo TMD treatment plan is identical, but they all work toward the same goal: getting rid of your TMD pain. If you’re interested in learning more about how neuromuscular dentistry can help your TMD, please give Dr. Alexandra George’s office a call at 724-934-3422 and schedule a consultation.

When you have a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), simple things like eating can be extremely difficult. That’s because the jaw pain and stiffness that often goes hand in hand with a TMD can make chewing anything from painful to nearly impossible. Thankfully, there are some foods that are easier on the temporomandibular joint than others. If you suffer from TMD pain, check out this list of TMD-safe (and not-so-safe) foods.

If you’re one of the 28 million Americans who suffer from debilitating headaches known as migraines, you are most likely familiar with how agonizing they can be. But as if the pain, nausea, light sensitivity and dizziness that frequently accompany migraine headaches wasn’t enough, some migraine sufferers may be in for more bad news. That’s because, according to a recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), people who get migraine headaches are three times more likely to suffer from another painful disorder known as temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD for short.

An estimated 29.5 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches each year. A migraine is categorized as a headache that produces an intense, throbbing pain in one or both sides of the head. This pain is often focused behind the eye socket, in the temples or behind the ear. Migraine pain is usually accompanied by other side effects like nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and dizziness. It can also produce something called an "aura," which is a visual side effect that moves in a wavelike pattern across the visual cortex.

According to the American Tinnitus Association, a staggering fifty million Americans experience the constant, noticeable, ringing or buzzing in their ears known as tinnitus. Tinnitus can range in severity from slightly annoying to bothersome, and for a small portion of the population, it can be unbearable. But while there are many potential causes for tinnitus, one such cause may surprise you: temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD. We spoke to Dr. Alexandra George of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about why TMD and tinnitus often go hand-in-hand and what you can do about it.TMD is a condition of the temporomandibular joint muscles of the jaw. It is estimated that this puzzling condition affects approximately 10 million people a year in America. There is no one cause for TMD nor is there one tried and true treatment. TMD can be caused by any number of things, such as genetics, accidental injury or improper bite. TMD can also cause a wide variety of symptoms, from jaw soreness and tightness to headaches, neck, sinus, and eye pain- and even tinnitus-based hearing loss, which scientists believe could be caused by the TMJ muscles throwing the nerves in the ears out of balance.