Bold advancements in dentistry can be credited for unprecedented relief for people suffering with headaches, migraines, chronic neck or shoulder pain, jaw pain, ringing in the ears, or clicking in the jaw.

These symptoms, from mild to severe, are ceaseless for many people in North America, because up until recently, the medical field could not always pinpoint the root cause. Now, solutions for thousands are being documented by what is called neuromuscular dentistry. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions on this solution for relieving pain, answered by LVI Global, the world-renowned institute for advance dental studies:

Q: What is causing my tension headaches and migraines?

A: You may have a dysfunction of the jaw joint, or a temporomandibular disorder (TMD) commonly referred to as TMJ. TMD prevents your upper and lower teeth from coming together in proper alignment and one of the most common symptoms is a tension headache. Constant contraction of muscle fibers within the muscles creates tension. Unfortunately, these headaches can be so frequent or severe that they are often misdiagnosed and treated as migraines. You may be able to block the pain with medication, but the jaw misalignment, known as bad bite, will persist.

Q: What will a neuromuscular dentist do?

A: By putting the temporomandibular joint back into alignment and placing the jaw into its optimal position, most headache problems related to TMD muscle, nerve and joint disorders could be alleviated. The optimal jaw position is determined by measuring the relaxed position of the head and neck muscles. The jaw is then repositioned to achieve those exact measurements.