Jaw Pain | Tmj Symptoms and Treatment

"People have found Dr. Hang from as far away as Alaska. I think everybody should know about him because he is where orthodontics is headed. It's not headgear. It's not pulling teeth, yet those people still exist. I wanted better for my daughter...and myself."

"I was tired and ready to give up. Everything became such an exertion. To me, it was a life saving surgery. Dr. Hang knows what he is talking about. He is excited about his job. He loves what he does. He is very patient and takes time to answer your questions thoroughly. He does it right because he doesn't want you to ever have to be bothered with the problem again."

"I have not had a headache like I usually would have since I have been back from the surgery. I can breathe better and I can tell that my airway is better. I used to have chronic sinus infections, those are gone too. Bill Hang is very capable...brilliant. His team took very good care of me. "

"It's been a life altering experience. The fact that I am now going to be able to live to my normal life expectancy....how can you thank somebody for giving you 20 extra years?"

"When I was going through the episodes of Apnea, I would find myself waking up at night choking and trying to get my breath going again. I was afraid that eventually, I might not wake up. Now, I feel much younger than my years. I can breathe freely. I have a whole new lease on life."

OVERVIEW OF TREATMENTS FOR
OSA/TMJ PAIN & HEADACHES

Millions of people in North America suffer from headaches, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) discomfort, and jaw pain spending years seeking solutions to their pain issues. Although orthondontics/dentistry is certainly no cure for every headache/TMJ/facial pain pattern, many patients now realize there may be solutions for previously unresolvable pain patterns. Dr. Hang's membership in and speaking engagements for the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain has afforded him the opportunity to share ideas and experiences, work with, and benefit from the expertise of the best doctors treating complex pain cases.

This area of dentistry remains very controversial with some in the profession swearing there is no relationship whatsoever between a patient's bite relationship and a TMJ/headache/facial pain pattern. Some would berate those who even choose to suggest there is a solution, much less provide a treatment. We prefer not to fight the petty professional battles but to offer people the best TMJ treatment our experience tells us may help those who suffer. We cannot ever promise an outcome but have been highly successful in eliminating pain patterns in countless adults including some who have suffered for more than 40 years.

With Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) becoming the most common chronic disease in all industrialized countries and untreated OSA resulting in a 20% reduction in life expectancy, all people should educate themselves on this subject. Many OSA patients do not have headaches or muscle pain patterns, but it is becoming more and more obvious that OSA (read "Dentistry's Unique Role in Longevity Enhancement" in Published Articles section) is often intimately related with TMJ symptoms.

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The common link between headaches/TMJ/facial pain and OSA is very often reduced tongue space, which upsets the balance of the facial muscles. The patient's breathing is limited and the muscles are stressed because there is not room to posture the tongue comfortably at rest. Unlike most orthodontists, we are very conscious to not retract teeth in the face during TMJ treatment for these reasons.

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