TMJ, tmj pain, jaw joint pain relief, headache pain, neck pain, tmj disorder, tmj dysfunction, pain relief, neck and pain relief

Finding the help you need:

Do you have severe pain, headaches, facial or jaw pain, neck and shoulder pain? Have you tried everything and you still have jaw pain headaches.

If you are a person with serious chronic TMJ pain, there’s a good chance you’ve been from one healthcare provider to another looking for relief. There’s also a good chance you have heard, “Nothing more can be done to ease your pain”, or You’ll just have to live with it.”

You need to find a health care doctor who has the know-how, skills, and willingness to work with you.

The most important thing working with TMJ problems is to have the correct diagnosis. Is your pain due to disorders of the muscles of the head and face, disorders of the internal derangement of the joint, and if there is an injured TMJ disc or disorder of the joint structures? This can be degenerative joint disease such as osteoarthritis in the joint, or it may be due to a mal-occulation of the teeth.

KNOW THE FACTS:

More than 50 million American men and women and children live with severe TMJ pain that interferes with their personal, social, and work lives. The TMJ is the most misunderstood and most misdiagnosed and therefore goes untreated, or the wrong type of treatment.

Did you know that 90% of all headaches are related to the nerves in your neck, and many times these headaches are caused by the TMJ malfunction and dislocation? More that 23 million people in the USA suffer from chronic headaches, which force them to miss more than 158 million workdays a year.

Most people do not realize that these seemingly unrelated problems are often associated with jaw joint problems. However, more that half of all sufferers never see a doctor, mistakenly believing that there is no treatment for their symptoms.

Why is finding a doctor who is knowledgeable and skilled in pain management of the TMJ so difficult?

Because understanding that chronic pain is a disease in itself, and one that is harmful to the body is a new way of thinking to the medical doctors. Until recently, pain was considered only as a symptom of disease or condition, or just a natural part of aging. So most health care providers have been trained to treat disease and not pain. Your doctor must understand the cause of the TMJ pain, and with the correct diagnosis he or she can correct the cause, and the pain will no longer be a problem.

You must find the cause of the pain, the proper diagnosis, the correct treatment program, and not be taking pain relieving drugs that only mask your symptoms and give little or no relief.

WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO?

Get a correct diagnosis --- what is causing your pain --- the muscles, the joint, the nerves, the teeth, or jaw joints?

Be in charge --- speak up! Don’t let any doctor tell you “It’s just in your head.”

Realize you are the expert on your pain --- not the doctor. If you were not in pain you would not be in their office.

Make a personal commitment to reducing your pain and finding out the cause of your pain.

Do your home work. Learn as much as you can about the anatomy of the TMJ joint and it’s function. Most doctors and dentists do not know how to correct the cause of your pain --- that’s the reason you must be knowledgeable about your condition.

Describe you symptoms in detail, how much its hurts, headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, eye pain, and ringing of the ears —-- tell all your symptoms.

Ask the health care provider how many TMJ patients they have treated and the results, and make sure your health care provider asks the following questions.

Knows about chronic pain and how to treat it.
Believes your report of pain.
Listens carefully to your concern.
Asks questions and performs diagnostic tests that you believe can identify the problem.
Encourages you to ask questions.
Is comfortable when you disagree.
Is willing to speak to family menbers and go over full report with husband/wife or any menbers of your family about your condition and the treatment program.
Works with you to develop the best program to give you relief from pain, or a program to correct your condition.

Does the doctor have models to explain the anatomy of the TMJ to show the muscles, disc, teeth, joint and how they all work together and what could cause your pain --- this is very important the doctor explains in details to you.

Ask the doctor --- “Would you go to yourself or treat your family with this type program if you had all these symptoms?” If the doctor hesitates in his answer, I suggest look elsewhere.

Good News --- Dr. Donald G. Kimble has been treating TMJ pain and headache pain since 1959 with excellent results.

Call Dr. Donald G. Kimble, 803-327-6155, for your free TMJ and Headache Dysfunction Screening today.