“After just a few sessions with Dr. Scranton I noticed increased mobility in my jaw. … After a few months of adjustments to my neck and jaw I can now enjoy some of the foods I couldn’t before.”Erin R., a patient of Dr. Scranton
Why the jaw and the neck are treated together
The temporomandibular joint sits just in front of the ear on each side, and it hangs off the skull and the upper neck. When the neck is stiff or the head sits forward, the two jaw joints stop working as a pair. One side clicks, the jaw drifts to one side when you open, chewing gum or a sandwich hurts, and the ache spreads into the ear, the temple and the neck.
Dr. Scranton examines the jaw joints themselves, the muscles that close the jaw, and the neck they hang from, with digital X-rays of the neck at the first visit. He adjusts the jaw directly where it needs it, which most chiropractors do not do, and the neck where that is driving it.
What TMJ care includes here
- Specific adjustments to the jaw joint and to the upper neck.
- Soft tissue work on the chewing muscles, which are often locked hard on one side.
- Habits and exercises for the jaw, including what to stop doing, written for you.
- Work alongside your dentist if a night guard or dental work is also part of the answer.
Why people choose Dr. Scranton for this
He looks before he treats
Digital X-rays on site at the first visit, read with you in the room. The Gonstead exam finds the joint that is actually causing the problem, so that is what gets treated.
He has done this for a long time
Palmer College of Chiropractic, class of 1999. More than 10,000 patients. Years spent teaching other chiropractors how to treat knee pain and neuropathy.
He tells you the truth
If he does not think he can help you, he will say so at the first visit. No plan is written that you have not agreed to. You will never be a number in this office.
What to expect at your first visit
1. You tell him what is happening. When it started, what makes it worse, what you have already tried. Nobody hurries you.
2. The exam, and X-rays if you need them. Digital X-rays are taken on site and read with you in the room, so you see what he is seeing before he touches your spine.
3. A straight answer. What he found, whether he can help, and what it would take. If he does not think he can help you, he will tell you. We are not going to give you false hope.
The first visit is $47, usually $180, and covers the consultation, the exam, any X-rays you need and the conversation afterwards.
A patient who came in with jaw pain after a crash
“After being rear-ended in a car accident I developed TMJ (a popping/ cracking of the jaw). Yawning, sneezing, chewing gum and eating some of my favorite foods became painful. … For the TMJ I first saw a chiropractor. He referred me to a dentist. The dentist referred me to a physical therapist. … I have increased mobility and have learned ways to minimize my reoccurrence of the TMJ.”Erin R.
Every quote is a real patient of Dr. Scranton. Results vary from person to person.
Questions people ask about TMJ and chiropractic
Should I see a dentist or a chiropractor for jaw pain?
Often both. A dentist deals with the teeth, the bite and a night guard. A chiropractor deals with the joint, the muscles and the neck the jaw hangs from. Dr. Scranton will tell you at the first visit whether the joint and the neck are the problem, and will work alongside your dentist if the bite is part of it.
What does the first visit cost?
$47, usually $180. That covers the consultation, the exam, any X-rays you need and a sit-down with Dr. Scranton to go through what they show. No other price is quoted until you have been examined and have agreed to a plan.
My jaw clicks but does not hurt. Is that worth treating?
A click means the disc in the joint is slipping. On its own it may never become a problem, but a click that has started to catch or lock, or that comes with headaches or neck pain, is the sign to be examined before it gets worse.
Does adjusting the jaw hurt?
No. Jaw adjustments are light and specific, nothing like a neck adjustment. Most of the work on the jaw is gentle pressure on the joint and the chewing muscles, and the neck is treated separately with the X-rays in front of him.
How many visits will it take?
It depends on what the exam and X-rays show, and nobody can honestly tell you before that. After the first visit Dr. Scranton lays out what he found and what a plan would look like. You decide from there. Nobody is put on a plan they have not agreed to.
Do you see patients from Taylorsville, Kearns and West Jordan?
Yes. The clinic sits on the West Valley City and Taylorsville border, a minute off the I-215, and patients come from Kearns, Magna, West Jordan and South Jordan.
Action Chiropractic is at 2964 West 4700 South #102, on the West Valley City and Taylorsville border, a minute off the I-215. We see patients from Kearns, Magna, West Jordan and South Jordan.
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