Functional dentistry · CMD
Bite & TMJ therapy, seen as part of the whole body.
Jaw pain, clicking, tension headaches, a bite that feels “off” - temporomandibular (TMJ / CMD) problems rarely have a single cause. We diagnose gently, treat with custom splint therapy, and read the jaw together with your posture.
01 What it is
When the jaw, the muscles and the bite stop working together.
Your temporomandibular joints - the two hinges that connect the lower jaw to the skull - work hundreds of times a day, in close partnership with the chewing muscles and the way your teeth meet. When that partnership falls out of balance, the result is a cluster of symptoms doctors and dentists call temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD/TMJ), or in German-speaking medicine CMD - craniomandibular dysfunction.
Because the system is connected, the signs are easy to misread. Patients often arrive having seen several specialists for headaches, ear pressure or neck pain before the jaw is recognised as the common thread.
- Jaw pain, fatigue or a feeling of pressure around the joint
- Clicking, popping or grinding when opening and closing
- Restricted or deviating mouth opening
- Tension headaches, ear symptoms, neck and shoulder pain
- Worn, sensitive teeth from night-time clenching or grinding (bruxism)
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02 The whole-body link
The jaw sits at the top
of your posture.
The position of the lower jaw influences the muscles of the neck, the shoulders and, in turn, the whole postural chain - and they influence it right back. Treating the bite in isolation often misses why the pain keeps returning. Reading the jaw as part of the body is the heart of a holistic approach.
Jaw · neck · shoulders · posture - one connected chain
03 How we diagnose
A careful diagnosis before any treatment.
We never adjust a bite on a hunch. A precise functional analysis tells us where the strain actually sits - in the joint, in the muscles, in the way the teeth meet, or in a combination of all three.
- Functional examination - we measure and feel how the jaw opens, closes and moves to the side, and palpate the chewing muscles for tension and trigger points.
- Bite analysis - we check how forces are distributed across the dental arches and identify premature contacts or interferences that drive the dysfunction.
- 3D / CBCT imaging - where the joint structure itself needs assessing, we use precise, low-radiation 3D imaging rather than guesswork.
- The whole picture - clenching habits, stress, sleep and posture are all part of the conversation.
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04 Splint therapy
Gentle, reversible relief for the joint.
For most patients, the foundation of treatment is a custom-fabricated occlusal splint - a precise, removable appliance, usually worn at night. It guides the lower jaw into a relaxed, balanced position, protects the teeth from grinding and lets the over-worked chewing muscles and joints settle.
Crucially, a splint is completely reversible: it changes nothing about your own teeth. We always explore conservative, non-destructive measures first, and reserve any selective adjustment of the bite for situations where it is clearly indicated and the joint has already calmed.
Conservative first - the joint should calm before we ever touch a tooth.
- Made individually for your jaw - never an off-the-shelf appliance
- Relieves the joints and muscles without altering healthy teeth
- Protects against the wear of night-time clenching and grinding
- Adjusted and reviewed as your symptoms improve
05 What to expect
Your path from first symptom to lasting relief.
Listen & examine
We hear your history in full and carry out a thorough functional examination of jaw, muscles and bite.
Analyse & image
Bite analysis and, where it helps, low-radiation 3D imaging give us a precise picture of the cause.
Splint & relieve
A custom occlusal splint settles the joints and muscles, with physiotherapy coordinated where indicated.
Review & stabilise
We follow your progress, fine-tune the appliance, and only consider further steps once the joint has calmed.
06 Who it is for
You may benefit from a TMJ assessment if…
These are the patterns we see most often. Even one or two persistent signs are worth a careful look.
Your jaw clicks, locks or aches
Clicking, popping, a catching feeling or pain on opening, closing or chewing.
iiYou grind or clench your teeth
Worn, sensitive teeth, morning jaw tightness, or a partner who hears you grind at night.
iiiYou have unexplained head, ear or neck pain
Recurring tension headaches, ear pressure or neck and shoulder tension with no clear cause.
ivYour bite suddenly feels “off”
Your teeth no longer seem to meet the way they used to, or new dental work has changed how you bite.
07 Related care
Treatments that often work alongside.
Bite and TMJ therapy connects naturally with the rest of our biological, metal-free care.
3D / CBCT Imaging
Precise, low-radiation 3D diagnostics to assess the jaw joint and plan safely.
02Biological Dentistry
The whole-body philosophy behind everything we do - care that respects your physiology.
03Vital Aesthetics
Tooth-preserving, metal-free restoration of a worn or damaged bite after the joint has settled.
04Migraines & the Jaw Connection
How bite problems, clenching and TMJ dysfunction can trigger migraines and headaches.
08 Questions
Bite & TMJ therapy - your questions.
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction - known in German-speaking medicine as CMD (craniomandibular dysfunction) - is a disturbance in the way the jaw joints, chewing muscles and bite work together. It can cause jaw pain, clicking, restricted opening, headaches, ear symptoms and neck or shoulder tension.
We start with a detailed functional examination of jaw movement and chewing-muscle palpation, assess how your bite distributes forces across the dental arches, and add precise low-radiation 3D imaging where the joint structure needs to be assessed.
No. A custom occlusal splint is a removable, completely reversible appliance, usually worn at night. It relieves the joints and muscles without altering your teeth, so conservative treatment is always explored before any irreversible step.
The jaw joints sit at the top of the body’s postural chain, so bite imbalances and neck, shoulder or back tension often influence each other. Considering these connections - and coordinating with physiotherapy where it helps - gives more lasting relief than treating the jaw in isolation.
Yes. Consultations and treatment can be carried out in English at our practice at Hauptstraße 50 in Bad Schwartau, a short distance from Lübeck. Use the form below or email info@ganzheitlicher-zahnarzt.de to get started.
Let’s find out where your jaw pain is really coming from.
A careful, holistic assessment in English - gentle diagnosis, reversible splint therapy, and the whole-body picture. We reply personally with the next steps.
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