Dr. Mike Firouzian recently went on Daytime Columbus to share the success he’s seen treating TMJ patient Mary. Mary had suffered for years and had seen many doctors, including several specialists to try to relieve her symptoms, but she did not see success until working with Dr. Firouzian.
Mary’s Symptoms
Mary experienced a full suite of symptoms associated her TMJ. Among the symptoms she experienced were:
- Neck pain
- Upper back pain
- Headaches all around the head, including the back of the head and temples
- Pressure behind the eyes
- Pain behind the eyes
- Pressure in her ears
- Lightheadedness
These symptoms worsened until Mary could no longer drive or perform routine life tasks like talking on the phone. She became miserable and decided to get treatment.
A Surplus of Doctors, a Shortage of Solutions
Mary went to see her family doctor, who started referring her to specialists. She saw two different ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors, a neuromuscular doctor (not to be confused with a neuromuscular dentist), and many others. So many doctors she can’t remember them all.
The doctors often didn’t believe her descriptions of her symptoms, dismissing her claims and saying, in her words, “everything’s fine.” She felt going to the doctors became a terrible ordeal, especially since her symptoms continued to worsen.
Dr. Firouzian Provides the Answer
As her condition worsened, Mary also developed jaw pain, as well as pain in her individual teeth. This is when she began to suspect that TMJ might be the cause of her symptoms and decided to schedule an appointment with Dr. Firouzian.
Dr. Firouzian determined that Mary’s problem was related to the function of the jaw muscles. Because of the way her teeth fit together, Mary’s muscles were unable to find a comfortable resting position.
In order to help Mary hold her jaw at that comfortable resting position, Dr. Firouzian fitted her with an orthotic. This is an attached orthotic, which is bonded to her lower teeth. The ultimate solution to Mary’s problem hasn’t yet been decided. Dr. Firouzian may decide that he can achieve optimal results with orthodontics, or he may rely on dental crowns (caps) to build up her teeth so her jaw remains at this relaxed position.
Although Mary isn’t completely finished with her treatment, she enthousiastically encourages anyone with symptoms like hers to see TMJ dentist Dr. Firouzian. If you want to schedule an appointment, please call (614) 848-5001 today for an appointment.