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TMJ Pain Relief

Do you have face pain? Headaches?

 Massage can now offer another way to pain relief with Trigger Point Massage inside the mouth.  After spending 20 years as a dental assistant it is exciting to see another option for patients to get relief from TMJ pain!

Why use trigger point therapy? Ordinary muscle cramps and contractions release with movement or stretching. Trigger points do not. Instead, they lock into spasm, a strong state of painful contraction. This spasm is basically a localized hardening of the muscle. Once it hardens, it becomes locked in that state and creates a self-perpetuating cycle of pain and spasm. Often, a single muscle will have multiple trigger points.

Applying systematic, sustained, direct pressure to the trigger point is one of the few ways to release the spasm and break the pain cycle. This systematic application of sustained pressure is known as "trigger point release therapy." Sometimes, it is also called "trigger point massage." Only when the trigger point has been released—breaking the pain-spasm-pain cycle—will the muscle begin to return to a relaxed, elongated state. When you inactivate the trigger point, you release the muscle spasm, which relieves pain. It is recognized as one of the most effective ways to achieve long-lasting relief from on-going pain and spasms

 According to The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the most common form of TMJ is myofascial pain. Myofascial pain is pain that originates from muscles and connective tissue, caused by a trigger point(s). A trigger point is an irritable spot in a muscle that is locked into a deep and painful spasm. Most of the trigger points responsible for the myofascial pain associated with TMJ are located inside the mouth, and are difficult to treat.

 Massage therapist that are certified in Intraoral Massage (Not all massage therapist are certified in Intraoral massage) must use gloves while massaging inside the mouth just like in the dental office, So it is very sterile.

If you have a latex allergy please let your therapist now when booking your appointment.

Appointments are normally about 30 min. You should expect to get 3-4 treatments in a row, usually 1x a week.