Inside this Issue
Condition of the Month - Jaw Pain
Office News
Appointment Cancellations
Baby News
Chiropractic and Jaw Pain
Jaw disorders are a common problem seen in the office. Although many of you have experienced significant improvement, many others remain unaware that chiropractic may be able to help provide needed relief from your jaw pain.
The Jaw Joints
You have 2 jaw joints. They are ball-and-socket joints directly in front of your ears. They are where your skull and jawbone meet. A cartilaginous disc separates the bones. Ligaments hold the bones together. Several muscles contract and relax to open and close your mouth. The jaw joints are commonly referred to as the TMJ areas.
What Causes TMJ Problems?
Many everyday stresses can negatively impact the jaw joints. Common ones include injury, poor posture, stress, or clenching your teeth. Many of us have “bad” or “weak” teeth and tend to develop the habit of chewing more on one side. This may lead to overdevelopment of the muscles on one side of the face. The resulting uneven pull can cause a TMJ problem.
Getting hit in the face playing sports can injure the jaw. Car accidents can overstretch the ligaments and muscles of the TMJ, resulting in temporary, or sometimes permanent, damage. Stress and tension tends to keep the jaw muscles over-contracted, potentially causing pain or causing premature wearing down of the joint cartilage.
How Can You Tell If You Have TMJ Syndrome?
Jaw problems may cause a myriad of symptoms. Here is a list of some of the most common ones:
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· Jaw Pain · Tooth Pain · Clicking/popping · Headaches · Facial Pain · Frequent biting of the inside of your cheek · Teeth not lining up · Earaches · Limited range of motion · “Clogged” feeling in the ears · Pain with chewing, talking or yawning |
How Can Chiropractic Help?
Jaw problems usually involve one or more of three areas: the jaw joints, jaw muscles, or upper neck area. Spinal and/or jaw joints become misaligned. Muscles get over-contracted or unbalanced between the 2 sides of the face. Left untreated, osteoarthritis, painful trigger points, nerve irritation, or damage to the jaw cartilage may develop.
Chiropractic care is unique in evaluating the alignment and muscle tone of the TMJ area. Specific adjustments may be used to realign the jaw or associated neck joints. Muscle therapy can ease tense muscles and restore more normal movements to the jaw joints.
Sometimes treatment involves a team approach with your dentist or orthodontist. Keeping your jaw open for prolonged periods of time, especially with it shifted and held to one side, can throw the jaw out of alignment. Therefore, it’s often a good idea to have a chiropractic checkup of the jaw after any major dental or orthodontic work.
Many of you have responded very well to chiropractic treatment of your TMJ troubles. Jaw problems have become one of the most common conditions I see in the office. Still, many people are unaware that chiropractic may offer the help and relief they have been looking for. If you or someone you care about have a TMJ problem that has been unresponsive to dental or orthodontic care, you may want to give chiropractic a try!
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[On pregnancy] “To me, life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside.” ~ Rita Rudner |
Office News
As we have started a new year, we want to remind you of a few items:
* If you have received a new insurance card OR switched to a new insurance, please inform the office staff so that we have a current copy of your insurance information.
* You may be asked to sign a 2013 authorization form that gives us permission to send claims in to your insurance. This is a standard form that most insurance companies require on a yearly basis.
* We hope to acquire a credit card processing system in the next few months. We want to make paying your copays & bills easier and more convenient.
* Stay tuned to our office bulletin board, website (www.drstevewohar.com), and our Facebook page for more information regarding our office!
Appointment Cancellations
Unexpected things come up for everyone, which force us to change plans at a moment’s notice; your car won’t start, you get caught in traffic, or you wake up sick. Sometimes these unanticipated events require you to cancel an appointment in the office. We definitely understand--so please don’t feel bad about calling. In these situations, please let us know as soon as you reasonably can. There may be someone on a waiting list who would appreciate the opportunity to be seen, provided we give them enough notice. For other situations when you want or need to cancel an appointment, try to give 24 hours’ notice, or let us know as soon as possible. Again, it may help someone hurting get an earlier appointment. Thank you!
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“ Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories. ” ~ Lord Rochester |
Baby News!
Our Office Assistant, Julie Maguda, has left the office as of January 31 st to stay home following the birth of her daughter. Paige Marie Maguda was born on Tuesday, February 19 th at 11:50am. She was 7lbs, 1oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Both mom and baby are healthy and doing great!
Maria Wohar, Dr. Steve’s niece, will be working Wednesdays & Fridays and Lindsey Wohar, Dr. Steve’s daughter, will be working Saturdays during this transition.
In other baby news, Office Assistant Colleen Hardy and her husband Bill are proud to announce a new addition to their home. They will be expecting a baby boy this coming July, who will also be welcomed home by new big sister Elyse.
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Former Office Manager Passes Away After Long Battle with Cancer
On Monday, January 14, 2013, we lost a dear friend. Chris Deutsch will be remembered for her kind and caring ways, and the warmth she added to our office. She will be missed by so many. Our sympathy goes out to her family during this difficult time. Chris’ obituary is available on our website, www.triblive.com or www.fryefuneralhome.com .
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Upcoming Dates of Office Hour Changes
Friday, March 29 th (Good Friday) OFFICE CLOSED
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