TMJ Diagnostic Testing Calgary

TMJ Diagnostic Testing

tmj diagnosis calgary

Diagnostic Testing 1 of 2 Natural Fit Orthotic Appointments

Duration: approximately 2 hours

The Diagnostic Testing section of the TMJ Therapy process tells us about your present condition and helps us find an improved bite position for your orthotic (TMJ dental appliance).

This first appointment is typically 2 hours in length. Please plan for at least that amount of time in your schedule.

What’s used for Diagnostic Testing?

EMG Testing:

Muscle activity testing to determine specific problems.

Jaw Motion Tracking:

Observe existing jaw activity and find improved jaw functions.

Muscle Relaxation Therapy:

The ultra low frequency T.E.N.S. provides gentle pulses to relax jaw and neck muscles.

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Your Diagnostic Testing

“Our goal is to reduce functional and structural strain caused by TMJ disorder.” Dr. Curtis Westersund

Coming from the NUCCA Chiropractor

This will have been discussed during your diagnostic appointment. Your neck alignment is important for helping find a proper bite. Necks that are out of alignment will affect the precision adjustments of the dental orthotic. This can be arranged with the dental team to coordinate a neck assessment prior to the diagnostic testing for your TMJ orthotic..

Preliminary Scans

Scans (tests) of your present jaw and muscle function to form a baseline. This gives us information we can use to assess your TMJ disorder condition.

Relaxation Therapy

45 – 60 minutes of pulsing therapy to restore balance to jaw and neck muscles. By gently pulsing jaw and neck muscles with a very like TENS pulse, the jaw muscles will slowly relax and regain a more healthy function.

Diagnostic Bite

Determining and capturing a healthy balanced bite position for your new orthotic. This is finding the zone of comfort for your lower jaw and body muscles.

Digital Impression

We will take digital impressions of your upper and lower teeth to begin orthotic construction. These impressions are very accurate and give us a good start for your orthotic.

Second Appointment: Orthotic Delivery

At your second appointment we will be delivering your lower removable dental orthotic called a “Natural Fit Orthotic.”

You may require functional alignment assessment on day of delivery.

Orthotic Try-in
ULF TENS Physiotherapy (45 – 60 minutes)
Orthotic adjustments to balanced functional bite position.

Your appointment time will be 1 – 1.5 hours long. Please plan your time for this appointment accordingly.

The same rules for makeup and facial hair apply for your second appointment.

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Diagnostic Testing FAQ's

Neck alignment first?

One thing we have noticed with our patients … they all have a head, connected to a neck, which is connected to a body. This sounds silly but in fact it points out that just working with your mouth, can ignore other body actions. Head – Neck alignment is typically the first to show up in a TMJ disorder.

Our office does not do neck therapy but we will share with you what neck misalignment we see and will make recommendations for treatment.

We will discuss with you the need for checking alignment with the NUCCA Chiropractor prior to the insertion appointment.

What to wear?

Choose comfortable clothes as you will be sitting during your appointment. Bring your work or computer for you will have 45 – 60 minutes to rest with our T.E.N.S. therapy pulsing jaw and neck muscles. No phone calls during your physiotherapy though.

Can I wear make-up?

NO! If you can, do not wear makeup for your appointment. If you have to wear makeup to work, please bring any replacement makeup you will need after your appointment. We will be cleaning your skin so that our muscle monitoring gel pads and our physiotherapy gel pads have a clean contact with your skin.

Do I need to be clean shaven?

We need clean and shaved skin for the contact of our gel pads. If you have large sideburns, a beard, or you just didn’t shave that day, we will need to trim for our testing. We do have an electric shaver available if you forget. Usually Goatees are OK. We do not mind the chin fuzz.

Will you be taking any dental impressions?

We take digital impressions of your upper and lower teeth. None of the messy impression trays. Today we can keep your entire care in a digital work flow. This allows us to provide the most accurate appliance for your healing phase.