Cosmetic Dentist

TENS Unit

pic1Anchor Point, serving Homer and Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Dr. Jeff Bartley has attended numerous continuing education programs at the world famous Las Vegas Institute, becoming skillful in the emerging field of neuromuscular dentistry. For individuals suffering from the painful symptoms of TMD, this is good news.

Neuromuscular dentistry focuses on the muscles that move the jaw. When these muscles are not functioning properly, the bite becomes misaligned in a disorder called TMD.

TENs and Neuromuscular Dentistry

The TENS unit, an acronym for Transcutaneous Neural Stimulator, is one of many tools Dr. Bartley has at his disposal to understand how your jaws, teeth, muscles and nerves work together. TENS relaxes your jaw muscles by emitting low frequency electrical stimulus. 

Muscles in spasm can make it difficult to obtain accurate measurements for the purposes of determining the optimal jaw position and the extent of TMD present in the patient. Even if the patient has no pain, the muscles can still be in spasm. The TENS Unit uses a 9 volt battery and sends mild stimulation to the muscles, contracting and relaxing the muscles until the muscles are deprogrammed and the spasms end. Once this occurs, Dr. Bartley can obtain the necessary measurements to continue treatment, including computerized jaw tracking and other tools to measure and analyze joint activity to better understand how to adjust your bite. From these measurements, an orthotic can be custom made to allow the muscles to heal, relaxing the trigger points and allowing the joints to rest. In this way, your symptoms can be treated and your pain can be alleviated.

How TMD Affects People

Temporomandibular joint disorder is a chronic illness affecting approximately 40 million people. Some people experience no pain but still have a misaligned bite due to:

  • Worn teeth
  • Chipped teeth
  • Broken teeth
  • Broken fillings
  • Changing position or shape of the smile

To correct TMD, the jaw must be brought back to the optimal position determined using sophisticated computer analysis that includes:

  • TENS
  • Electromyography (EMG)
  • Sonography (ESG)
  • Specialized joint x-rays

If you suffer from these or other symptoms of TMD, we can help you:

  • Headaches
  • Jaw pain and soreness
  • Neck, shoulder and back pain
  • Facial pain
  • Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joints
  • Worn, chipping or cracking teeth
  • Pain in the teeth
  • Routine stuffiness or congestion in the ears

These symptoms are structural, leading to overactivation of the jaw, head, and neck muscles and, subsequently, pain, tension and spasms. If you suspect you are suffering from TMD and want to know how the TENs Unit can help to alleviate your pain, please contact us for a private, consultation. Dr. Bartley serves cosmetic dentistry patients in Anchor Point and the Kenai Peninsula areas of Alaska.

 

(907)226-3700
Contact Us

34115 Sterling Hwy.
Anchor Point, AK 99556