Do I have Craniofacial pain?

If you have any headache or muscle pain associated with your head or neck, than Yes! Pain in our head and neck can come from several origins. We often tell ourselves it is 'just stress', or it is 'normal' for me. So we grab the headache or tension relief medication and cover the pain until it goes away . . .waiting for the next recurrence.

What if we could find the source of the pain and help prevent further headaches?

Life is busy and popping a pill to dull the pain is certainly fast and easy. But if you are looking for someone that will guide you towards a life without needing to rely on medication as much, or not at all, call our office.

How long will diagnosis and treatment take?

Our bodies are amazing! If one part of our body is hurting, the surrounding structures will compensate. Because of this, pain is like an onion, with lots of layers of compensatory muscles. For some, these layers will peel away quickly, and others will take more effort to find their maximum improvement.

What do I have to do throughout this process?

Communicate! All our online questionnaires are designed to make it easy for you to communicate your past and present pain failures and successes with our office. We use this information to tailor your treatment plan at each visit. Also, once treatment is completed, keep in touch and let us know if any symptoms return in the future. . .it's always easier to make minor adjustments early on in a pain cycle, than have to peel away the complicated layers later!

Comply! We find that our best successes come when we all are doing our part in-between appointments. For example, if the home stretches, appliance regimen, or dietary changes are not adhered to outside of the office, we cannot expect to have the best results. I encourage patients to start this journey only when they are committed to playing an active role in their treatment. If you aren't quite ready, we will be here when you are!

What is involved in the treatment process?

The treatment regimen is very much dependent on your symptoms, and will be different for each person. Some of our treatment modalities include: oral appliances, spray and stretch, ultrasound therapy, trigger point injections, heat therapy, TENS and High Voltage Stim Therapy, and cold laser therapy. We also quarterback therapies and diagnostics not offered in our office, such as physical therapy, massage, MRI and CBCT imaging etc.

What do I do if my jaw locks open or closed?

Whether it is a first time occurrence or a repeat offense, a locked jaw joint is painful and scary! Our job is to address this as immediately as possible to help prevent long term damage to the joint. We can use numbing medicines to help make the unlocking procedure comfortable and successful. But, more importantly, we fabricate a temporary splint to help keep you from falling off your disc again in the short term.