Which therapy helps with CMD? 7 questions about splints, physiotherapy and treatment

What is the best therapy for CMD?

In shortThere is no single best therapy. The best evidence is for a combination of gentle, reversible methods, tailored to what has been measured in your case.

First-line treatment for CMD is conservative and non-invasive. It includes:

• Information and self-help: rest position, warmth, exercises, posture, sleep.
• Physiotherapy for jaw and neck.
• Splint, depending on the findings as a protective, relaxation or positioning splint.
• Stress management and psychological methods: they reduce pain intensity in painful CMD to a similar extent as standard dental treatment.
• Medication only short-term and prescribed by a doctor.

The order is crucial: measure first, then treat. Treating without measuring means treating an assumption. Irreversible procedures, such as grinding down healthy teeth, do not belong at the start.

How we work: Think, measure, regulate.

What does a physiotherapist do for CMD?

In shortThey release tense jaw and neck muscles, mobilise the jaw joint and show you exercises for home. Treating the neck as well is the professional standard for CMD.

• Manual therapy of the masticatory muscles, if you wish also from inside the cheek
• Trigger point treatment on the masseter, temple and neck
• Mobilisation of the jaw joint when mouth opening is restricted
• Treatment of the cervical spine, because jaw and neck are controlled by shared reflexes
• Coordination and posture exercises and a home programme
• Relaxation: breathing, noticing clenching in everyday life

Physiotherapy works best when coordinated with the other steps. How often and for how long is covered in the article Relieving CMD yourself.

Is it possible to treat CMD without a splint?

In shortYes, often. Many symptoms improve with self-help, physiotherapy and stress management. A splint makes sense if you grind at night or your bite position is measurably involved.

Not all splints are the same:

• Night guard or protective splint: protects the teeth from wear but does not treat the cause.
• Bite or relaxation splint: relieves the muscles and eases acute symptoms.
• Positioning splint: is intended to change the bite position in a targeted way. This requires it to have been measured beforehand.

Whether a splint helps in your case can be said after measurement, not before. A splint from the chemist only protects.

Is CMD treatment painful?

In shortNo. The examination involves no drilling, no unpleasant impressions and no X-rays. Some steps may feel briefly unfamiliar.

• Examination and measurement: consultation, palpation, measurement of bite position, muscle activity, movement and posture. This is not painful.
• Physiotherapy: treating trigger points can be briefly uncomfortable. You say when it is enough.
• Splint: in the first few days, a feeling of pressure and increased saliva are common. This usually settles quickly.

Healthy tooth structure is left untouched. We start with removable appliances; permanent steps only once these work.

Where does CMD pain radiate to?

In shortMost often to the temples, head, ear, cheek and neck. The pain is often felt where it does not originate.

• Temple and forehead: the temporalis is one of the chewing muscles.
• Behind the eyes and into the back of the head
• Ear: pressure, pain or noises. The jaw joint is right in front of the ear.
• Cheek and teeth: toothache for which the dentist finds no cause
• Neck and shoulders

There is an anatomical basis for this: the nerve supplying the face is connected in the brainstem with the nerve pathways of the upper cervical spine. That is why jaw and neck problems can radiate into the same pain region.

Is CMD a serious illness?

In shortNo, not in the sense of a dangerous or progressive disease. CMD is benign and common. The burden can still be very high.

Around three in ten people have signs of CMD, women more often than men. Most cases are mild. But anyone who has had headaches, ear pressure or neck pain for years and hears everywhere that nothing can be found experiences it as serious.

For many, certainty alone is a relief: a functional dysregulation of the jaw system is a common, benign and treatable explanation.

How much does private CMD treatment cost?

In shortThat depends on the findings. At the CMD-Klinik, you receive a description of services with the costs before each step and then decide whether to continue.

The CMD-Klinik is a private clinic for self-paying patients. The first phone consultation is free. Measurement takes place in two stages with an interim evaluation, so nobody pays for measurements that no longer add anything. What health insurance covers is explained in the article CMD treatment: 15 questions.

More questions, already answered

• How long does it take for CMD to heal?→
• What should you avoid with CMD?→
• Can I treat CMD myself?→
• Which sports help with CMD?→
• What does health insurance pay for CMD?→
• Can any dentist treat CMD?→
• What triggers CMD?→
• What happens if CMD is not treated?→

Sources

• Swiss Health Care Benefits Ordinance (KLV), Art. 5 (physiotherapy)
• Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD)
• Reviews on aetiology, chronification and posture, as cited on our pages for professionals

This article is for general information and does not replace a medical or dental assessment. Which treatment suits you can only be said after an examination.