Hello
Can anyone tell me if they know of a good dentist in the birmingham area who specifically deals with TMJ?

My dentist has told me i grind my teeth and have a very tight and tender jaw muscle. But he doesnt seem to think there is anything he can do??

I have quiet alot of symptoms of TMJ and id like to get it looked in to properly!

Any advise or even a recommended dentist would be great.

Many Thanks

Alana

Dear Alana,
I can't recommend a dentist in your area as I'm too far South to help you.

I'm having treatment for TMJ and found my London based specialist initially through a google search.

There are other TMJ patients who have posted in the past you could try using Grahams advanced search on this link to look for more information
http://t4tinnitus.com/searchRNID/?sf=&a=y&s= (external link, opens new browser window)

Although there is a link with TMJ and tinnitus it does not automatically mean that treating your tmj will take away your tinnitus. My tinnitus was caused by noise damage, but the stress of tinnitus exacerbated a pre existing 30 year dysfunction with my jaw which I would have had to have resolved regardless of the tinnitus.

Certainly my tinnitus has improved massively during the year I have been undergoing treatment, but I have habituated during that time and it would be impossible to say what percentage was attributable to the TMJ work. My other symptoms that were directly from the TMJ have all vanished - bliss.

My dentist said that roughly out of the patients he treated who had TMJ and tinnitus, 40% of patients experience an improvement in their tinnitus and in some cases symptoms improved dramatically.

The other route is to investigate the maxillo facial department of your hospital by getting a referral from your GP. Don't raise your hopes however, my GP was adamant that my 'bite' looked OK whereas the specialist said it was so obvious there was a problem we could hold off from an MRI until I felt better about my ears. I have subsequently had a second MRI and the wear on my right joint is 4/5 on a 5 point scale. LIkewise my NHS dentist just looked blank when I talked about TMJ, so it is worth taking matters into your own hands.

Good luck
Louise

Hi Alana,

I am having treatment for TMJ dysfunction with a dentist in Surrey. I am travelling from Somerset (takes about 3 hours) to go there, but I do know there are others nearer to me. I use a forum http://tmjduk.webs.com/ (external link, opens new browser window) where there are other people in UK with TMJ dysfunction , the website also has a list of links to websites of TMJ dentist registers. There is a website http://www.tripleodentallabs.com/ (external link, opens new browser window) . They are a supplier of splints to TMJ dentists. If you phone the number on that website, they should be able to give you contact details of a TMJ dentist near to you.
I went for a second opinion on my TMJ treatment recently, which made me realise that no dentist has exactly the same approach to diagnosing and treating TMJ dysfunction.
Some of this TMJ treatment is really not cheap, and I think the costs and treatment methods vary depending on who you see.
You could also see an NHS Maxillofacial consultant either at a hospital or dental hospital, with either a referral from your GP or your dentist. The NHS are not able to provide the same method of treatment as you would get from a private TMJ dentist.

Hi Louise and Amanda
Thank you so much for the information It is something i do want to look in to and i understand that it can be expensive.
I know that it may not get rid of my tinnitus but i know it is not helping me.
My Jaw is very tender and as im grinding my teeth in my sleep i am waking up to an acheing jaw i cant seem to get the muscle to untighten and relax then dentist trip for a filling has really flared it up on the one side all i can do is take pain killers.
From the list of side affects from TMJ dysfunction i have a large handful i get very sore neck shoulder and back ache which i have been seeing a chiropractor for and has helped.
When i chew with my right side my tinnitus in my left hear gets louder with every chew and if i have to chew hard my left joint clicks in and out not all the time just with harder foods.
I understand this may be a long and hard battle to getting it checked our properly.

Once again thank you for all your info

Alana

Hi Alana,

I went to see Dr Richard Casson in central London last weekend, he charged £50 for the lengthy consultation and he seems to know what's he's talking about. I got my to stand up and look at my profile, and he said my atlas was way out, he told me him and his family used the atlas profilax treatment. So far there are only 6 practictioners in the Uk that each charge a uniform £140 for 2 treatments, but there are a couple of them based in London and he recomended one. The tricky thing is he admitted even though he detected a tmj disfunction, the misaligned atlas once resolved can relax the jaw muscles.

Hi Billy,

That’s cheap compared to what it cost me to get a second opinion on my TMJ treatment from Patrick Grossman recently.
Was the atlas alignment the only thing he thought was wrong with your posture? Did he check to see if your pelvis and shoulders are level, or for a forward head posture.
Who is the atlas profilax practitioner he recommended? Do you know who and where the other 6 are? Do you know what the difference is between atlas profilax and NUCCA?

Hello Billy
Is the misaligned atlas to do with you spin? so is it a chiropractor as such you mean you need to see? im a bit confused?
Ive been seeing a chiropractor for back and neck pain my neck had c1, c2 out of line and i had a forward head posture so ive been having realignment for this which have helped my neck and back pain and to an extent my tinnitus it hasnt gone it just seemed a bit quieter.
Its not right now after my dental appointment i had a filling at the back left and my t is screaming and my jaw is hurting a little when i move it.
I will definatly look in to this treatment or maybe going to see Richard Casson if you recomend him i do live in birmingham but i am prepared to get travel to get someone who knows about TMJ to look at this as i cant find anyone in my local area who does and i dont want to waist my cash on someone who will give wrong diagnosis.
Thanks for all the info keep it coming
Alana

Ok sorry have a little research i can see that the atlas is to do with your skull as such or your neck and head alignment.
This it seems (unless these people are scamming )that it can be corrected in one session?? Im not sure ive just typed it in to google and this is what it has come up with.
I have a theroy on my tinnitus i think 3 things havent helped it. A car accident which i had whiplash in 2006, noise enduced (but i dont have any hearing damage!) and possibley from what the dentist said TMJ Dysfunction as im grinding my teeth in my sleep and have a tight and tense jaw muscle!!!!
Billy how was the treatment explained to you for £140 is it fixable within 2 sessions?
Alana

Whiplash is what I suffered with just over a year ago after a fall. Whiplash again tenses muscles which can include the area round the jaw and trapping nerves in various points in the body causing discomfort. Atlas Profilax was founded in Switzerland in 1996, normally it's one session using a device which relax the nerves and muscles so that the atlas slips into it's original position. Then a follow up session to see how things are getting on.

The practitioner he recommended was Caroline Vernon who runs a holistic therapy centre at 80 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11 mobile 07831868864. She has also been a physiotherapist for over 30 years, she trained on the atlas profilax programme in Switzerland herself. Caroline practises in London mon-wednesday then Devon the rest of the week. I've got my appt booked with her this coming tues at Notting Hill. Don't don't confuse atlas profiliax with chiropractory, it's a device they use together with gentle massage to place the atlas in it's original position. Around 75-80% of the worlds population are born with a misaligned atlas as it's carried down through generation to generation, or it might be through a trauma in later life or both which adds to the symptoms without people recognizing it. It's like keeping tropical fish, but you don't have the equipment to maintain them, and you keep puring warm water in the tank to keep them warm so they'll survive, the same is said when all the doctor can do is either give people pain killers or anti-depressants. I've read up on it and the positive far outways the negative by 80 odd percent, read David Ickes opinion on it on the web. It is said that a misaligned atlas can reduce the average life expectancy by 10-15 years. In eastern europe midwives adjust newborns atlas's in their proper places so they'll lead a healthier life when growing up. And parents who at least one has an healthy aligned atlas will produce offspring with normal atlas's. But in my case Dr Casson said he wasn't sure if it was my slight tmjd or the well misaligned atlas causing my problems, but he recommended Caroline in case it is the atlas because it'll bring quicker relief and it'll be cheaper. Some people experience some pain and dizziness after having their atlas's realigned, then the body unwinds could take weeks and months to restore it's proper health, he stressed it's not an overnight thing, it can take months depending.