Previous Posts

• Tinnitus and TMJ/TMD
• Durability of Porcelain Veneers
• TMJ/TMD Technology
• The Science Behind the Bite
• TMJ/TMD Aches vs. Migraines
• Do I Need a Crown?
• Dental Implants and Porcelain Veneers
• Am I Too Old for Braces?
• Treating Jaw Pain and Stiffness with Neuromuscular...
• Haven't Been to the Dentist in Years?

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Tinnitus is a maddening experience. A sustained ringing, humming or buzzing in the ears marks this condition. The noises heard do not actually come from some external source, but instead seem to originate in your own head.

Past research has shown a link between ear symptoms and TMJ/TMD, a set of disorders affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The TMJ is the joint connecting your lower jawbone to your skull. When the TMJ comes under excessive pressure or is otherwise injured, painful symptoms can result.

Stress placed on the TMJ and the surrounding muscles can result in tinnitus. Along with the experience of these noises, you may also experience:

• Headaches
• Tooth pain
• Head, neck and shoulder pain
• Jaw joint noises
• Locked jaw or deviating jaw on either opening or closing

These TMD symptoms can be relieved using dental approaches. Your teeth, jaws, ears and sinuses are all connected, and a bad bite can significantly affect your TMJ. Depending on your unique situation, a dental splint allowing the correct alignment of your teeth and jaws may make your tinnitus disappear. Once the correct bite is found that is symptom free, then a more permanent realignment can follow with dental restorations.

If you are experiencing the symptoms of TMJ/TMD in Phoenix, Arizona, and the surrounding areas, please contact the experienced neuromuscular dentists Dr. Scott LeSueur and Dr. Charles Dodaro to schedule a consultation.

Porcelain veneers conceal flaws of the teeth, including chips and gaps and discolorations. They create a very cosmetic result. Veneers fit seamlessly into your smile, measuring about the thickness of a credit card or your fingernail. Even though veneers are quite thin, they are extremely strong when placed correctly.

Veneers are durable for a couple reasons:

• Porcelain material
• Dental bonding process

Porcelain is a combination of different materials. Porcelain is actually a ceramic material, meaning it is nonmetallic and created through a process of heating and cooling. Part of the reason that porcelain veneers are so durable is simply because of the inherent strength of ceramic porcelain.

The bond between a porcelain veneer and your tooth is also very strong. To prepare your tooth, a small amount of enamel is removed from the very outer surface. The result of this removal is that your tooth has a rougher surface, which allows the dental cement to bond more effectively. This removal of enamel also compensates for the thickness of the veneer. The veneer is then attached to the cement material.

Most people have the same veneers for years, even decades. You can prolong the life of your veneers with these habits:

• Brush twice a day and floss once a day. Cavities can ultimately damage your veneers.

• Wear a mouth guard if you play sports or grind your teeth. These activities can cause trauma to the veneers.

• Refrain from biting on hard objects, including ice cubes, your fingernails, and the ends of pens and pencils.

Porcelain veneers are a durable way to create a stunning smile you are proud to share.

For porcelain veneers in Arizona, including Phoenix and the surrounding areas, please contact the doctors of smiles Scott LeSueur, D.D.S., and Charles Dodaro, D.D.S., to schedule a consultation.

The most common equipment used in TMJ/TMD treatment and diagnosis are:

• TENS machine. This machine has small pads that are positioned on your face. Gentle electrical impulses are administered through the pads. The impulses act like a massage, encouraging the muscles to relax. The TENS machine greatly reduces TMJ/TMD pain and discomfort and gives a clues to more permanent corrections.

• K-7 unit. This machine tracks and records the movement of your jaw so your dentist can determine a more precise cause and appropriate correction of your TMD symptoms. The K7 tracks movement when you chew, speak, open and close your jaw, and swallow.

• Electromyography. This device measures the electrical activity in your muscles. This information will provide your dentist with insight into how your muscles are behaving while at rest and in motion. Most TMJ pains are of muscular origin and diagnosing and correcting improper activity levels allows resolution of many TMJ pains.

• Sonography. This devise notes noises caused by TMJ malfunction that gives your dentist clues about causes and timing of problems in TMJ function.

• Splint. This is a devise constructed to fit the teeth of a TMJ dysfunction patient and allow repositioning of the bite to bring relieve and help diagnose final and correct position for joint and muscle health.

Based on your dentist’s findings from TMJ/TMD testing, treatment will consist of alleviating your symptoms while also treating the cause. Oftentimes, these symptoms are experienced as a result of a misaligned bite. When your teeth and jaws come together incorrectly, muscles become tense and painful thus adversely affecting TMJ function.

If you are experiencing TMJ symptoms in Phoenix or the surrounding areas, please contact the experienced Arizona dentists Dr. Scott LeSueur and Dr. Charles Dodaro to schedule a consultation.

Much of the process behind jaw function is unseen. Chewing, speaking and yawning are all normal daily routines, but the science behind our jaw movement is truly extraordinary. Neuromuscular dentistry provides diagnosis and treatment for problems arising in this intricate part of our anatomy.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a delicate, complex joint connecting the jaw to the skull. This hinged joint makes it possible for you to open and close your jaw and move your jaw from side to side. A disc composed of firm, flexible cartilage is positioned in between the bones that form the joint. The TMJ is surrounded by a network of muscles and nerves.

Because of the intricate movements and anatomic connections of muscles and nerves of the TMJ structure, many people experience tenderness, pain, abnormal function or other TMJ symptoms. These conditions are referred to as TMJ disorders, or “TMD.” The symptoms of TMD often arise as a result of:

• A misaligned bite
• Disc erosion
• Disc misalignment
• Damaged cartilage
• Joint damage from injury
• Muscle fatigue from excessive and abnormal muscle use
The disorders associated with the TMJ range in severity. Many of the disorders are treated with dental approaches that focus on bite alignment and prevention of TMJ stress.

To learn more about TMJ and the associated disorders in Phoenix, please contact the experienced Arizona dentists Dr. Scott LeSueur and Dr. Charles Dodaro to schedule a consultation.

One of the most common symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD) is persistent and intense headaches. These headaches can be very painful but generally are not the same as migraines. Both headaches can tend to feel the same, but the causes are different.

The causes of TMJ headaches include:

• Improper bite
• Jaw clenching
• Teeth grinding
• Injury to the TMJ

All of these things cause excessive and unhealthy forces to be exerted on the TMJ structures. These forces exerted on the TMJ strain the muscles and nerves surrounding the joint, resulting in tension that leads to pain and headaches. TMJ headaches many times lead to pain spreading to the neck and shoulders.

Not a lot is known about the causes of migraines. Migraines do have certain well-documented triggers, such as bright lights, loud noises, and various smells and foods.

When you seek help for migraine-like headaches, doctors who do not have a background in dentistry will most often treat the headaches as migraines. Migraines are treated with medications, as well as dietary and lifestyle changes. If your headaches are actually caused by TMJ, migraine treatments will not address the cause of your headaches or prevent them, only temporarily relieve the pain. Instead, you may require TMJ treatments.

For TMJ treatment in Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding east valley areas, please contact the experienced neuromuscular dentists Dr. Scott LeSueur and Dr. Charles Dodaro to schedule a consultation.

A dental crown is a powerful restoration that can also improve the appearance of your tooth, while protecting and strengthening it. A dental crown may not normally be considered a cosmetic restoration because most of the time you get a crown to strengthen a tooth. Here are some of the more common reasons why people need dental crowns:

• Cracked teeth
• Failed large fillings
• Root canals
• Worn down teeth

In general, a dental crown is used when the damage to your tooth is too extensive or otherwise not suitable to using a tooth-colored filling or porcelain fillings. If the structural integrity of your tooth is compromised in a way that makes it susceptible to further damage due to the force of chewing, or if the location of a cavity makes it difficult or impossible to fill, or if you need to strengthen a tooth after a root canal, then a dental crown is recommended.

The good news is that the crowned or capped tooth can look extremely lifelike and improve the appearance of your smile dramatically..

To learn more about dental crowns, please call or email Scott LeSueur & Charles Dodaro Cosmetic Dentistry today.

If you are looking for a dental solution that is right for you, porcelain veneers and dental implants are two of the most powerful cosmetic dentistry treatments available. However, they are radically different, and each one is appropriate only to the specific treatments that they are designed to correct.

Porcelain veneers are an extremely versatile treatment that can be used to treat:

• Chipped teeth
• Cracked teeth
• Crooked or gapped teeth
• Short teeth or gummy smile
• Misshaped teeth
• Discolored teeth

For each of these cosmetic dental problems, porcelain veneers give a long-lasting, attractive solution.

Dental implants, on the other hand, only treat one problem, but they do it very well. Dental implants are frequently the best replacement for missing teeth. Whether you are missing one tooth or several, dental implants may be the ideal solution for you. Dental implants can be the ideal treatment for a missing tooth for many people because they are anchored into your jaw and therefore are able to function and look just like your natural teeth.

To learn which dental treatment is right for you, please contact Scott LeSueur & Charles Dodaro Cosmetic Dentistry today.