The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the hinge that connects your lower jaw to your skull. Dysfunction of this joint can lead to pain, audible popping or cracking, reduced mobility, difficulty chewing, or even secondary symptoms like headaches or ringing in the ears.

TMJ disorders are often aggravated by stress, teeth grinding, arthritis, or injury. In fact, due to the sensitive, temperamental nature of the small muscles of the jaw, TMJ disorders are easily aggravated by many attempts to treat them.

For this reason, the gentle nature of treatments like acupuncture and laser therapy makes them ideal options to address TMJ issues because they soothe pain and inflammation and gently promote healing.

Treatment options:

• Acupuncture PLUS Laser Therapy: Our MOST recommended option for jaw issues. Hair-thin needles are used to gently release the muscles of the jaw. Cool Laser Therapy is applied to the joint, reducing inflammation and pain. Together they maximize healing, resulting in faster recovery times than either acupuncture or laser used alone.
• Acupuncture (only): Time-tested and proven over thousands of years, this traditional modality yields excellent results for mild to moderate cases of TMJ dysfunction
• Acupuncture PLUS Cupping or Vibration Massage: For cases where the majority of the issue is with the jaw muscles themselves rather than the joint, this combination can provide maximum muscle release. The vibration massager used in these treatments is extremely gentle. It is NOT a massage gun, but a precision tool designed specifically for working on sensitive muscles like those found in the jaw.
• Laser Therapy: The MOST gentle treatment option, which makes it ideal for treating the jaw during major flareups, where even light touch is difficult to tolerate. Once pain levels come down, we can often consider adding in vibration massage to provide additional muscle tension release.
• Laser Therapy PLUS Cupping or Vibration Massage: This combination is the perfect option for those who are needle averse but still want to get as much relief of muscle tension and TM joint pain as possible.

Where to start?

Book an Initial Consultation and we will go over your TMJ issue in detail and make a plan best suited to your needs. You have final say over all treatment options, but I will use my knowledge and clinical experience to help guide you towards the treatment modalities most likely to yield the best results.