Cra­nio­man­di­bu­lar
Dys­func­tion (CMD)

When the Jaw Beco­mes Unba­lan­ced

Many peo­p­le suf­fer from hea­da­ches, neck ten­si­on, or rin­ging in the ears – wit­hout suspec­ting that the cau­se may lie in the jaw. A pos­si­ble expl­ana­ti­on is Cra­nio­man­di­bu­lar Dys­func­tion (CMD), a func­tion­al dis­or­der in the inter­ac­tion bet­ween the tem­po­ro­man­di­bu­lar joint, mus­cles, and tee­th.

Dr. Anni­ka Kraus

…is our spe­cia­list for CMD

What is CMD?

Cra­nio­man­di­bu­lar Dys­func­tion refers to a dys­re­gu­la­ti­on of the che­wing sys­tem. In this con­di­ti­on, the tem­po­ro­man­di­bu­lar joints, masti­ca­to­ry mus­cles, and tee­th no lon­ger work tog­e­ther har­mo­nious­ly. Even the smal­lest mis­a­lignments or mus­cu­lar ten­si­ons can dis­turb this deli­ca­te balan­ce – with effects on the enti­re body.

Typi­cal Sym­ptoms

CMD mani­fests through a varie­ty of sym­ptoms that are often not imme­dia­te­ly asso­cia­ted with the jaw:

- Pain or cli­cking in the tem­po­ro­man­di­bu­lar joint
- Rest­ric­ted mouth ope­ning
- Ten­se masti­ca­to­ry mus­cles
- Hea­da­ches, migrai­nes
- Neck, should­er, or back pain
- Tin­ni­tus or ear pres­su­re
- Diz­ziness
- Tee­th grin­ding (bru­xism)

How is CMD Dia­gno­sed?

At Pra­xis am Kureck, we per­form a com­pre­hen­si­ve func­tion­al ana­ly­sis. During this, we exami­ne the mobi­li­ty of the jaw, the posi­ti­on of the tee­th, and the strain on the mus­cles. If neces­sa­ry, we sup­ple­ment the exami­na­ti­on with ima­ging tech­ni­ques or col­la­bo­ra­te inter­di­sci­pli­na­ri­ly with phy­sio­the­ra­pists, ortho­pe­dists, or ENT spe­cia­lists.

CMD Tre­at­ment

The goal of the­ra­py is to res­to­re the natu­ral balan­ce in the che­wing sys­tem and to sus­tain­ab­ly alle­via­te the sym­ptoms. Depen­ding on the cau­se, various mea­su­res are employ­ed:

- Occlu­sal splint (night guard): reli­e­ves the tem­po­ro­man­di­bu­lar joint and mus­cles
- Phy­sio­the­ra­py: releases ten­si­on and impro­ves mobi­li­ty
- Stress manage­ment: rela­xa­ti­on exer­ci­s­es to redu­ce bru­xism (tee­th grin­ding)
- Den­tal cor­rec­tions: adjus­t­ment of tooth cont­acts or den­tal pro­s­the­ses if neces­sa­ry

In many cases, an indi­vi­du­al­ly fit­ted occlu­sal splint in com­bi­na­ti­on with accom­pany­ing the­ra­py alre­a­dy leads to signi­fi­cant impro­ve­ment.

Con­clu­si­on

CMD is high­ly treata­ble – pro­vi­ded it is dia­gno­sed ear­ly. If you fre­quent­ly suf­fer from jaw, head, or neck pain, plea­se do not hesi­ta­te to cont­act us. Tog­e­ther, we will find the cau­se of your sym­ptoms and deve­lop an indi­vi­dua­li­zed the­ra­py con­cept for grea­ter well-being and qua­li­ty of life.

CMD Tre­at­ment with Botox

Botox (Botu­li­num toxin type A) is a pro­ven medi­ca­ti­on that spe­ci­fi­cal­ly redu­ces mus­cle acti­vi­ty. Injec­ted in very small amounts into the over­ac­ti­ve masti­ca­to­ry mus­cles (usual­ly the mas­se­ter or tem­po­ra­lis), it leads to a gent­le rela­xa­ti­on of the mus­cles – wit­hout impai­ring natu­ral che­wing.

The effect:
- Reduc­tion of mus­cle ten­si­on
- Pain reli­ef
- Reduc­tion of tee­th grin­ding
- Pro­tec­tion of tee­th from fur­ther wear
- Reli­ef of the tem­po­ro­man­di­bu­lar joint

Tre­at­ment Pro­ce­du­re

1. Dia­gno­sis & Plan­ning:
First, a pre­cise func­tion­al ana­ly­sis is per­for­med to deter­mi­ne which mus­cles are affec­ted.

2. Injec­tion:
The Botox is injec­ted with fine need­les into the affec­ted mus­cle are­as. The tre­at­ment only takes a few minu­tes.

3. Onset of effect:
After appro­xi­m­ate­ly 3–7 days, rela­xa­ti­on beg­ins, with the full effect achie­ved after about two weeks.

4. Dura­ti­on:
The effect typi­cal­ly lasts 3–6 months. After this, the tre­at­ment can be repea­ted if neces­sa­ry.

Advan­ta­ges of CMD Tre­at­ment with Botox

- Mini­mal­ly inva­si­ve and almost pain-free
- No down­ti­me – you can resu­me your acti­vi­ties imme­dia­te­ly
- Signi­fi­cant pain reduc­tion often within a few days
- Pos­si­ble as a sup­ple­ment or alter­na­ti­ve to occlu­sal splints and phy­sio­the­ra­py
- Often also an aes­the­tic impro­ve­ment due to sof­ter jaw con­tours

    Pos­si­ble Side Effects

    Botox is very well tole­ra­ted. Occa­sio­nal­ly, slight swel­ling, ten­der­ness, or small brui­ses may occur at the injec­tion site, which will subs­i­de quick­ly. Mus­cle strength is not com­ple­te­ly eli­mi­na­ted – nor­mal che­wing remains ful­ly pos­si­ble.

    Con­clu­si­on

    The tre­at­ment of CMD with Botox is a modern, effec­ti­ve, and safe method to alle­via­te mus­cu­lar jaw com­plaints long-term. Pati­ents suf­fe­ring from chro­nic tee­th grin­ding or seve­re mus­cle ten­si­on par­ti­cu­lar­ly bene­fit.

    If you suf­fer from jaw, head, or facial pain and pre­vious the­ra­pies have not pro­vi­ded suf­fi­ci­ent reli­ef, we would be plea­sed to advi­se you indi­vi­du­al­ly about CMD tre­at­ment with Botox at our prac­ti­ce.