BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Chiropractic may not be the first discipline that comes to mind when you have jaw problems. But according to Roy Hakala, DDS, FAGD, a dentist at Minnesota Craniofacial Center in St. Paul, Minn., parafunctions (movements of the jaw such as clenching or bruxing), and misalignments of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD) can require the work of a chiropractor. And thanks to that philosophy, student interns from Northwestern Health Sciences University have the opportunity each trimester to attend a morning-long seminar with Dr. Hakala about his unique approach to TMD.

A TMD can produce changes in head posture, impacting the amount of force on your spine and adversely affecting alignment. That’s where the attention of a chiropractor comes in. Dr. Hakala believes, “Patients who receive chiropractic care in conjunction with dental care generally get better faster and enjoy more complete recovery than patients who refuse chiropractic care.”

According to Mary Berg, MA, Northwestern’s clinical experiential education coordinator, each trimester students get placed into various clinical rotation programs during their Clinical Internships three and four. Minnesota Craniofacial Center is one of the many options available. Anywhere from four to eight T8 chiropractic students are accepted to attend a seminar with Dr. Hakala.

“With jaw misalignment or parafunction, most TMD patients have underlying structural disorders of the jaw and spine, so pharmaceutical care alone usually does not reach the root of the problem.” says Dr. Hakala. “Other dental tools such as nightguards, orthodontics, or grinding teeth are options; but like pharmaceuticals, they do not reach the root of the peripheral musculoskeletal and postural problem in the way that chiropractic does. With the help of a chiropractor, many patients can get better without the need of a referral.”

Patients with a TMD typically have pain because of muscular, postural, or structural problems, according to Dr. Hakala. When these problems are treated first, many patients can get better without the need for referral. With the help of these seminars, Northwestern chiropractic graduates are better able to help patients with a TMD.