Neuromuscular Dentistry Chicago

At our Park Ridge dental office just outside Chicago, we take a whole-health approach to dentistry. Your bite, airway, muscles, and jaw joints are all interconnected—and when one part isn’t functioning properly, the effects can be felt throughout the body. Neuromuscular dentistry helps us understand these connections so we can diagnose and treat conditions like TMJ disorders, chronic headaches, muscle tension, and even certain sleep-related breathing issues.

If you’re searching for neuromuscular dentistry near Chicago, Complete Health Dentistry provides advanced evaluation and treatment focused on long-term comfort and stability.

Neuromuscular dentistry views the bite as a coordinated system involving the teeth, jaw joints, muscles, nerves, and surrounding structures. These elements work together during chewing, speaking, swallowing, breathing, and maintaining proper posture. When this system is imbalanced, it can trigger symptoms far beyond the jaw.

When the jaw can’t reach its natural resting position, the surrounding muscles overcompensate. This strain may lead to clenching, grinding, joint inflammation, and nerve irritation. Over time, patients may experience:

• Jaw pain or stiffness
• Popping and clicking in the TMJ
• Tooth wear from bruxism
• Facial or temple pain
• Neck and shoulder discomfort
• Ear-related symptoms such as fullness, ringing, or pressure
• Tingling or numbness in the arms and hands due to postural changes

Because these muscles connect to the head, neck, and even the middle ear, TMJ symptoms often appear in places that seem unrelated to dentistry.

Many Chicago-area patients are surprised to learn that jaw position and airway health are closely linked. When the lower jaw sits too far back, it can narrow the airway during sleep, contributing to snoring or obstructive sleep apnea.

As part of our neuromuscular evaluation, we assess how jaw alignment influences nighttime breathing. For patients diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea—or those who cannot tolerate CPAP—oral appliance therapy may be an effective CPAP alternative. These custom appliances gently reposition the jaw forward, helping maintain an open airway and improving sleep quality.

While neuromuscular dentistry is not a replacement for medical sleep care, it plays an important role in identifying airway-related bite problems and coordinating treatment with sleep physicians.

Using advanced tools such as the OccluSense system, electromyography (EMG), and TENS therapy, we can map muscle activity, evaluate bite function, and identify your optimal jaw position. Treatment may include:

• TENS therapy to relax overworked muscles
• A custom bite splint to support the jaw’s ideal position
• DNA appliance therapy to promote long-term jaw development
• Phase 2 treatment (full mouth reconstruction) for patients who need permanent structural correction

Many patients feel improvement within days of TENS therapy, with further relief developing over the first several weeks of wearing their appliance.