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Welcome to TMJ Centre Melbourne
TMJ Doctors in Melbourne
TMJ Centre Melbourne is your TMJ dentist and TMJ chiropractor dedicated to resolving chronic jaw, face, head and neck pain via holistic TMJ treatment options.
Unlike any other TMJ clinic in Australia or the world, TMJ Centre Melbourne combine dental and chiropractic services to help achieve optimal treatment outcomes for patients. Our doctors at TMJ Centre Melbourne have over 50 years’ combined experience. The connection between dental and chiropractic treatment for TMJ concerns is realised through the experience of our doctors and outstanding patient results.
There’s no reason to put up with pain any longer! By working together in the same location, Dr Shah and Dr Dowker can quickly and effectively treat patients with TMJ concerns in a few short appointments
Meet the Doctors at TMJ Centre Melbourne
Melbourne’s Unique TMJ Dentist and Chiropractic team offering 50 years of Experience in treating Jaw, Face and Head pain.
Dr Meetal Shah
BDS(Hons) MSc (Sleep Medicine)
Dr Shah, holistic dentist, graduated from Manchester University in England with Honours in 1998. He has also completed a Masters...
Dr Eric Dowker
DC(Hons)(USA) ICSSD DBM
Dr. Eric Dowker attained his Doctor of Chiropractic (USA) in 1982, graduating Summa Cum Laude (highest honours) and with the...
What is TMJ Syndrome?
TMJ syndrome causes pain, discomfort and restricts the movement of your jaw and the surrounding muscles. If the TMJ is not functioning the way it is supposed to, it can lead to the development of TMJ Syndrome. People who don’t seek treatment for their TMJ symptoms can sometimes develop severe problems like fatigue and depression. Some of the common symptoms of TMJ syndrome include clicking and locking of the jaw, jaw pain, headaches, and neck pain.
Causes of TMJ Syndrome
Instances of TMJ syndrome and its causes may differ from patient to patient; however, some of the most common causes include trauma to the TMJ through physical injury, misalignment of the teeth and/or jaw, clenching or grinding of the teeth, or stresses of other areas of the body – most commonly in the head, neck and back.
Treating TMJ Syndrome
How TMJ syndrome is treated depends on the severity of the case and what the cause, or causes are. Treatments such as bite guards, orthodontic adjustments, physiotherapy and chiropractic adjustments have been successful in the past. Combining dental and chiropractic practices, we take a collaborative and holistic approach to finding the cause of your TMJ and treating it accordingly.
What is sleep apnoea?
Essentially, sleep apnoea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing during the night, which causes 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 said that snoring is not indicative of sleep apnoea, only one more 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.
Headaches can be symptomatic of TMD
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 Dr Dowker with work together to treat the symptoms and causes holistically, whether they be due to issues related to oral function or neuromuscular disorders.
For a functional jaw and straight teeth.
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.