Nearly a third of the population suffers from some form of craniomandibular (CMD) / temporomandibular disorder (TMD) which may include head, neck, and facial pain symptoms.  Unfortunately, many of these sufferers are misdiagnosed with everything from migraines and tension headaches to neuritis, neuralgia or even psychosomatic illness.  As the true cause goes unrecognized, patients may be led to prolonged drug therapy, labeled as hypochondriacs, or dismissed as incurable. Common among these symptoms are: Chronic headaches Ringing ears Ear congestion Facial pain Clicking/popping jaws Neck pain Clenching/grinding Dizziness Shoulder/back pain Limited jaw opening or locking jaws We study the Muscles, Teeth, & Joints  Cranio-facial dentistry focuses on the role muscles play between teeth, bone, and alignment of the jaws.  Physical and emotional stress can also be a factor in tight, tense muscles which reduce the adaptive capabilites of the jaw.  Often, the patient cannot voluntarily relax the muscles that are held in constant tension.  Muscles may be in a constant state of hyperactivity.  This is the result of subconscious programming (pro-prioception) or because they are in the self-perpetuating 'pain-spasm-pain' cycle. Differential Diagnosis and Facial Technology A common complaint of the jaw pain patient is often a feeling that the teeth and jaw don't fit together or feel normal when eating.  This condition normally associated with dental problems is often encountered in patients with a history of head, face, or neck trauma.  The injury causes a partial or complete dislocation of the Temporo-Mandibular Disc which interfaces between the mandibular condylar head  and the cranial fossa.  When dislocated the disc no longer supports this joint interface resulting in an overclosure of the joint space, which in turn causes a change in the patients occusal tooth position. As a result of the similarity of the symtoms a differential diagnosis is required to properly define the causation, evaluate the injury, and determine treatment options. We utilize a wide range of diagnostic methods which are available to identify these problems.  Each method is used only as needed for each indivual case.  These tests might include: Computerized Tomographic X-ray Scanning (CT Scan) Special radiographic studies JVA - Joint Vibration Analysis EMG - Electromyography JT-3 - Computerized Mandibular Scanning T-SCAN II - Occlusal Analysis Working together with the physician and other health professionals brings effective 'team management' to the patient to correct the problem.