TMJ DENTIST AND CHIROPRACTORS IN MELBOURNE

Essentially, sleep apnoea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing during the night, causing your body to jolt you awake in order to kick start your breathing. This all happens without you consciously waking up. When this happens, you will often wake up feeling tired, lethargic and fatigued. When sleep apnoea is not treated it can lead to a number of more severe health problems.

SYMPTOMS OF SLEEP APNOEA

Aside from daytime fatigue and lethargy, the most common symptom is snoring. Although it should be mentioned that snoring is not indication of sleep apnoea, only a symptom. You can, of course, snore and not have sleep apnoea. Other symptoms include poor concentration, morning headaches, depressed mood, night sweats, weight gain, fatigue, forgetfulness, sexual dysfunction and nocturia.

SLEEP APNOEA TREATMENT

Many clinics prescribe CPAP machines, which are worn whilst sleeping and create constant airflow to the lungs for patients with sleep apnoea. Many patients find CPAP machines uncomfortable and choose not to continue using them shortly after beginning treatment. For this reason, at TMJ Centre Melbourne we use a Mandibular Advancement Splint as a comfortable and effective alternative to a CPAP machine.

Did you know that people who suffer from chronic migraines are four times more likely to have TMJ/TMD? (Gonçalves M, Florencio LL, Chaves T, et al. Do women with migraine have higher prevalence of temporomandibular disorders? Braz J Phys Ther. 2013;17:64-68)

SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES

Headaches are often a symptom of TMJ, including sinus type headaches, tension and migraine headaches. The link between the TMJ and trigeminal nerve often cause these types of symptoms, however, other causes include muscle fatigue, postural changes due to inflammation and fatigue, and referred pain from the surrounding nerves.

TREATMENT OF TMJ RELATED HEADACHES

Diagnosing the exact cause of your headache is the first step in your treatment. Once diagnosed, Dr Shah and our TMJ chiropractor will work together to treat the symptoms and causes holistically, whether they be due to issues related to oral function or neuromuscular disorders.

Dr Shah is experienced in treating patients who have orthodontic concerns related to the function of the jaw. Functional jaw orthodontics can help by idealising the jaw size and position as well as the head position over the neck and spine. This helps to maintain a clear airway and ensure the TMJs are stable.

Although orthodontics will help to create beautifully straight teeth, the concerns of our patients often expand beyond this. We regularly treat both adults and children with great success.

This type of orthodontics also belongs to the non-extraction school of orthodontics—the only teeth not strictly necessary are your wisdom teeth. After that, all your teeth are necessary—and not just to your smile, but also to your jaw, jaw joint and airways. This isn’t meant to scare, merely to educate on the importance of teeth to your whole face and head.

Denticare offer patients a payment plan at 0% interest on the remaining balance of the treatment, after a deposit has been paid.

EXAMPLE:

Night & Day Orthotics Program is $6810. The deposit paid first is $2640 and the remaining balance is $4170.

$4170 can be paid back over 12 months = $347.50 per month.

By agreeing to a Denticare payment plan, the patient enters an agreement with Denticare for the monthly amount due to be deducted from their chosen bank account, credit or debit card.

The paperwork involved is quick and easy. Plans are granted if the patient has a job or has somebody (such as a family member) who can stand in as the person responsible for payment.

Confirmation and acceptance of the payment plan usually takes a couple of days.

If the patient does not finish their proposed program and they have borrowed money from Denticare, we work out how many appointments they have had and what that would normally equate to if they were paying us as they go.  We would then instruct Denticare to cease payments once that amount has been reached. This means the patient only pays for what they have had.

“Did you know that you can apply for the Early Release of your Superannuation to pay for your, or any of your family member’s, dental & orthodontic treatments?” We are happy to introduce SuperCare – an external service provider – that can assist you to make an application via the Early Release of Superannuation (ERS) Program, operated by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), to cover Dental & Orthodontic treatment costs. SuperCare can help facilitate funding for most Dental procedures.

SuperCare’s intention is to alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with the financial burden of Dental and Orthodontic treatments and, in doing so, support the health of all Australians. SuperCare is the only company in Australia specifically established to assist Patients with their ERS Applications. SuperCare’s caring, knowledgeable and professional Consultants efficiently case manage every ERS Application to ensure a stress free and timely outcome.