Do you suffer from any of the following?
TMD, HEADACHE, MIGRAINE, CERVICAL (NECK) PAIN...
Oro-facial pain (OFP) is the twelfth and newest recognized specialty in the field of dentistry. Orofacial pain specialists are trained to manage pains of the head and neck area that may present as a migraine, a headache, a numbness, an electric shock, tearing of the eyes, or even congestion of the nasal and sinus cavities.
You may be wondering: what would a dentist have to do with oro-facial pain?
Well, often these pains present as toothaches, even though there is nothing wrong with the tooth. This brings the patient to our clinic, seeking treatment. These oro-facial pains are often chronic, debilitating and life altering. Generally these chronic pain conditions are quite challenging to diagnose, because more often than not, the origin (source) of the pain is different from the location (site) where the pain is felt. As a result, the patient has often seen several different specialists before they come in to see us, and are quite tired of their situation.
Our most important treatment goal for such chronic pain patients is to establish a sound diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can then be started. Majority of the times we are able to help them manage their pain with a good balance of medications, physical therapy (PT) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), so that they can learn to live with the condition comfortably without it impacting their daily activities too much.
A few points to keep in mind for such chronic pain conditions are:
1. Positive Thinking: This is where Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT comes in. Numerous controlled studies have established a strong correlation between our psychological state of mind and the level of pain we experience. We can essentially self-talk ourselves out of the chronic pain condition, to a large extent. Almost like self-hypnosis. Yoga, meditation and chanting practices also play a big role in this type of therapy.
2. Keeping Busy. Having a well chalked out day for one self, where you have something or the other planned for yourself from the time you wake up to the time you sleep, really helps in distracting the focus away from the pain, because as studies have shown, "the more one focuses on one's pain, the bigger it gets".
3. Regular Follow-ups. The medications that are typically prescribed for such conditions are mostly centrally acting drugs which need close and regular monitoring by a medical doctor.
A TMD is a type of OFP. A Temporo-Mandibular Disorder (TMD) is simply any disorder affecting the Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) - the jaw joint – and its surrounding muscles. This could be anything from a clicking or grinding sound in your jaw joint, to a pain on opening, to limited/restricted opening or even a locked jaw. TMDs can sometimes make it difficult for people to chew, and effectively nourish themselves, leading to poor health and a weakened immune system.
Once a diagnosis has been made as to the cause of the pain or dysfunction in the TMJ, we at Life Essential Dental, utilize ULF-TENS as a treatment adjunct which is very well accepted by most patients. |
What is ULF-TENS?
Ultra Low Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or ULF-TENS is a treatment modality used to provide symptomatic relief from pain by selectively stimulating the small diameter pain nerves, causing the release of endogenous opiates (bodies own morphine!), which in turn decreases the stimulation of the sensory pain pathways. Hence, ULF-TENS has been demonstrated to be an effective tool in facilitating pain relief in patients with certain types of TMD.
Most chronic head and neck pain conditions have a psychosomatic component to them making them ideal cases for a multidisciplinary team approach. With over 200 hours of intense theoretical and practical training in the field of Oro-facial Pain Management and a multidisciplinary team for support, Dr. Sikka is well equipped to address any of your OFP concerns.