I recently hurt my neck and the first place I thought to go was my acupuncturist.
As I lay there and felt my pains diminish, I contemplated my dream of getting certified to be an acupuncturist. As a holistic minded person, I know there are many systemic things in the facial/oral area that could be helped with regular acupuncture treatments.
I have referred my patients with TMJ and facial pain issues to acupuncturists with great success. Its a great adjunct treatment for anxious/phobic patients as well. I look forward to registering for my coursework in the next years. In the meantime, I’d like to share some general information about acupuncture and how it relates to dentistry.
Acupuncture as an adjunct treatment for many conditions has been practiced and researched in institutions throughout Asia and Europe for many decades. Recently this practice began to gain momentum in the United States entering into academic clinics such as University of North Carolina Dental School Clinic.
Here are some common areas that dental acupuncture can help:
- Temporomandibular disorders including pain, clicking and locking chronic muscle pain or spasm
- Atypical facial pain
- Tension and migraine type headaches
- Nerve pain
- Nerve injury
- Post herpetic neuralgia
- Gag reflex
- Dental anxiety
- Dry mouth
- Rhinitis and sinusitis
- Post operative pain
Please share your thoughts and opinions on the matter.
