CMD in the Centre of Hamburg
The craniomandibular-dysfunction, abbreviated CMD, is an increasingly common disease. Symptoms include the grinding of the teeth in the night and pressing of the teeth, the so-called bruxism. Not least, this habit is an outlet for stress that leads to the overstressing of the chewing apparatus (masticatory system).
Next to stress, tooth displacement and lacking of dentures can trigger CMD, as well as a poor body posture that is common among people working a lot with computers. Are the symptoms of a CMD building up, we advise the diagnosis and treatment of an experienced expert—in many cases it can be treated successfully.
CMD-Therapy
| Suitable for: | Patients with pains in the jaw joint and in the neck area, tinnitus | |
| Examination: | Functional analysis | |
| Advantages: | Pain-free | |
| Duration: | Depending on the severity of the symptoms |
Advantages of the Zahnklinik ABC Bogen
You can trust our experienced specialists to deliver first-class care in line with the newest methods. This includes:
- professional functional diagnostics
- device-assisted functional analysis
- individual splint therapy
- cooperation with experienced physiotherapists
Symptoms of a CMD
The symptoms of a CMD can be manifold. The consequences of the overstressing of the jaw joints reach from snapping sounds when eating or talking to jaw, neck and/or back pain and ear noises, vertigo, migraine and knee problems.
With a special concept for the diagnosis and treatment of CMD, we can help you getting rid of painful symptoms as well es the underlying tooth issues.
Diagnostics of a CMD
Usually, only when chewing or swallowing the upper and lower jaw come into contact with each other through the teeth. In total, this makes for less than an hour each day. However, the recovery of the jaws generally decreases while CMD symptoms are more and more common.
In the Zahnklinik ABC Bogen, our specialist Dr. Timo Adam uses up-to-date diagnostics that discover even hidden issues. For that purpose, he makes use of instrumental methods and functional analysis.
Clinical Functional Analysis
The point of the functional analysis is to learn more about the reasons for the problems, about a possible case history and any pre-examinations. Part of this is the identification of personal stress—it is not uncommon that stress plays a central role in a CMD. It is the aim, to get to the bottom of the symptoms and find out if there is a tooth displacement or if the chewing movements or the mouth opening is restrained.
Instrumental Functional Analysis
Next, the computer-assisted functional analysis is used to arrive at an exact diagnosis. Accurate to the millimetre, this process assesses all the different chewing movements and determines the ideal position of the joint. The resulting data we can use to develop an individual bite splint and an effective therapy to remedy the cause of the CMD.
Treatment of a CMD
A craniomandibular dysfunction is not innate: It is caused by a displacement of the teeth or stress symptoms. When precisely diagnosed, there is a fair chance that an experienced specialist can get a hold of the dysfunction.
CMD-Splint
Usually, the teeth of the lower and upper jaw fit together harmonically. But this can change during your life time, for example because of dentures or of a loss of teeth.
In some cases, a minor correction of the dentures can solve the problem that causes the CMD. It is also possible, that one or more crowns have to be replaced or tooth displacements have to be corrected professionally.
The bite splint marks the beginning of the therapy for a craniomandibular dysfunction. The removable splint is made of a special synthetic material and relieves the jaw of the nocturnal grinding of teeth. The splint is made in our own in-house dental laboratory on the basis of exact computer-generated data.
Physiotherapy
Using a splint helps many patients to relax the chewing and face muscles that wouldn’t calm down during the grinding and biting. On request, this relaxation can be helped and augmented by a physiotherapy.
Our staff is happy to show you easy exercises for the linear opening of the mouth and for the massaging of the tense chewing muscles. In case of renitent problems, your therapy can be assisted by experienced physiotherapists.
Tips on How to Deal with a CMD
Beyond the therapy: How can you help to mitigate CMD symptoms in your everyday life:
- During the day, try to avoid pressing the teeth due to stress. Often, this habit occurs when being focused at work. Specific relaxation exercises can help to loosen the chewing muscles (muscles of mastication).
- With relaxation techniques like yoga and autogenic training you can support your overall calmness. By mitigating stress, you will improve your sleep long-term, that guarantees more rest and makes the grinding of the teeth redundant.
- Your sleeping posture can increase or prevent the grinding of teeth. The most conducive is lying on your back with a low pillow. This is how chewing muscles and jaw joints can relax the most.
Costs for a CMD-Therapy
The costs for your individual treatment by our experienced specialists are hard to determine prior to your visit because they depend on the therapy that is used.
Your comprehensive consultation is our priority—that is why, we will inform you with the highest degree of transparency about any costs at any stage of the therapy, after the diagnostics, after the consultation with our experts and after your treatment and budget plan has been sent to us by your insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our CMD-specialist Dr. Timo Adam is happy to answer the most important questions around the craniomandibular dysfunction:
Often, the reason for it is stress: The body tries to process the stress of everyday life. Malocclusion, badly made or fitted dentures and a dysfunction of the jaw joints can be the cause of the nightly hyperactivity.
We definitely recommend that. Because of grinding your teeth in the night and pressure healthy teeth can be grinded down and even destroyed.
To protect the teeth from the pressure, the first step is to make a bite splint that the patient can wear in the night. But it is just as important to find the cause for the nocturnal grinding. The reasons can vary. That is why, we develop an individual therapy for each patient. Should flawed fillings or dentures be responsible, these can be corrected and renewed. If stress is causing the grinding, stress management and relaxation exercises can help in many cases.
The reason for the problems can vary. Primary but also secondary diseases can be behind it. Primary diseases occur directly in the jaw joint like an arthritis, arthrosis or injuries caused by an accident.
Secondary diseases come from a dysfunction of the joint—these are commonly referred to as CMD. In a personal consultation and by using precise and expertly performed functional analysis we will get to the bottom of it.
The symptoms can vary greatly. However, often patients report of problems and pains in their jaw joints. Some have problems opening their mouth wide. Continuous head, shoulder, back or neck aches are also known symptoms of a CMD, plus ear sounds, flickering before the eyes, disturbances of equilibrium and vertigo. In this case, the consultation, diagnosis and therapy by an expert are of the utmost importance.