The main purpose of our therapy is to determine what percentage of headache pain or symptomatology is due to jaw joint discrepancy.  As you progress in therapy and as the pressure is removed from the jaw joint, allowing the muscles to relax, the joint will reach an optimum position.  A this optimum joint position, the teeth will not fit.  Therefore, it will be necessary for us to evaluate the jaw joint and tooth position to determine the degree of discrepancy at the end of therapy.  At the end of the six-month therapy, recommendations will be made as to the future course of treatment.

Dr. Auvenshine's long-term goals are very simplistic in nature.  It is his desire to keep long-term managment as simple as possible.  He believes that the best management is conservative management, thus he will always seek to recommend conservative therapy if at all possible.

Having a TMD problem is like having a "bum" knee or a "bad" back.  It is an orthopedic problem so there is no cure for it - only long-term management.  Long-term management will consist of evening and nighttime wear of an appliance for the lifetime of the patient.  This also includes using moist heat as needed and guarding against foods that require a lot of chewing.

The purpose of the appliance is to make the brain think that the teeth and the jaw joint are lined up.  The appliance is worn over the upper or lower teeth, depending upon the exact nature of the discrepancy and what appliance best fits individuals' needs.

The appliance is generally worn for a period of six months on a full-time basis.  In addition to wearing the appliance on a full-time basis, it is imperative that you remain on a soft-food diet, and protect against wide openings.  Cut up your food as much as possible (allowing your fork and knife to do most of the "chewing").  Continue constant use of a moist heating pad and other supportive care.