Dr. Plotkin speaks to Northeast Ohio Dental Association on Treating TMJ Pain with Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be an alternative to surgery and a complement to care you receive at the dentist. I have treated patients who noticed immediate relief of pain in their jaw. What's really wonderful is that in my office the needles never go where the pain is, so the patient never has to worry if the treatment is worse than the pain the are experiencing.
Acupuncture produces 2 bigs changes in the body:
1) Endorphins are stimulated by acupuncture, hormone in the brain which decrease
pain
2) Corticosteriods are produce in the brain decreasing swelling.
Many patients feel relief on the first visit and usually after a course of treatment don't
experience the pain for as long as year or more.