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We offer free advice and guidance to help diagnose symptoms of TMD and discuss what your next steps could be.
What is TMD?
TMD stands for Temporo-mandibular Joint Dysfunction, and describes symptoms associated with jaw joint disorders.
Studies have shown that up to two thirds of the population have some degree of TMD symptoms which may include occasional jaw joint discomfort or grinding and clenching of the teeth.
For most patients the symptoms are mild and intermittent and they do not require any treatment. However, for some of these patients, the symptoms are persistent and noticeable and they often awake with a stiff or painful jaw, or get headaches or ear blockages frequently. These patients should consider seeking treatment to address the cause of the symptoms and prevent long term damage.
What are the symptoms of TMD?
Oral symptoms can include...
- Jaw joint pain
- Stiff jaw
- Clicking / grating sounds coming from the joint
- Limited mouth opening
- Jaw moving to one side on opening the mouth
- Grinding and clenching of teeth
Other symptoms can include...
- Pain around the ear
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
- Ear blockages & Ear pain on flying
- Vertigo
What are the treatments available for TMD?
It is generally accepted that TMD symptoms can arise from jaw misalignments due to an irregular bite – therefore, most treatments are based around fitting of oral splints that separate the bite and give relief from the pain.
However, this treatment often only gives temporary relief whilst the splint is being worn.
Our Putney based dentist, Dr Fareed Khan, has been researching the relation of the bite to TMD symptoms for almost the last decade and has developed an application for the Invisalign Orthodontic Appliance that realigns the teeth such that the bite is corrected and the jaw attains a relaxed position.
This takes the strain off the jaw joints and jaw muscles and almost all patients report significant or total relief from their TMD symptoms. Because the bite can been corrected such that the jaw attains a comfortable position, the patient can expect long term relief from their symptoms. Dr Khan has successfully treated hundreds of patients using this technique and has refined it over the years.
To book an online consultation with Dr Khan to see if your condition can be improved, please complete your details using the form at the bottom of this page selecting “Putney” as the clinic and “TMD” as the treatment type.
Please enter as much information as possible about your symptoms, how long you’ve had them, what treatments you’ve tried so far.
Dr Khan will get back to you via email with advice about your condition and possible treatments. You can then also arrange an online or a face-to-face consultation with Dr Khan.
Alternatively, please call our Putney practice on 020 8789 2323.
Book Your Consultation“My chronic headaches remain a distant memory.”
“I cannot express my gratitude enough for the exceptional care and expertise provided by Dr Fareed Khan at Perfect Smile Putney. For nearly a decade, from the age of 20, I struggled with chronic headaches that seemed insurmountable. Despite seeking help from various specialists, including neurologists and physiotherapists, my condition persisted, interfering with my daily life.
However, my life took a remarkable turn when I was introduced to Dr Khan. With empathy and unparalleled skill, he suggested treating my chronic headaches with Invisalign. Initially, I was sceptical, having exhausted numerous avenues without success. However, I felt reassured by his confidence and genuine commitment to finding a solution, so I decided to give it a try.
My 2-year long journey with Invisalign was transformative. Dr Khan took a holistic approach, understanding the intricate connection between dental health and overall well-being. His attention to detail was impeccable, ensuring that every adjustment brought me closer to relief.
I completed the treatment about six months ago, and my chronic headaches remain a distant memory. My quality of life has improved so much, I wish I had found Dr Khan earlier.
Moreover, the atmosphere at Perfect Smile Putney is warm and welcoming, making each visit a pleasant experience. From the friendly staff to the state-of-the-art facilities, every aspect exudes professionalism and genuine care for patients’ well-being.
I wholeheartedly recommend Dr Fareed Khan TMJ specialist to anyone who has been suffering from chronic headaches with seemingly no solution.”
"Today, all my symptoms are gone so far."
“My journey to diagnose my TMJ was causing my symptoms which was constant strong headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, itchiness and unbearable pain on that side of my face and gums, teeth. Also weakness in my legs and hands, balance issues, difficulty getting up from bed in the morning, blurred vision and very strong intolerance of the lights and sunlight.
It started in July 2020 when the COVID hit. I realised I have had a decay on my right lower side molar tooth and tried to get an appointment for filling with my NHS dentist, unfortunately I was told no appointments until October but then I experienced pain and needed a root canal treatment.
My regular dentist disappeared and got a new one who didn’t do a successful root canal treatment and I ended up having an abscess.
Called around in my local NHS dentist because it was emergency as they left me with an abscess.
I couldn’t get any dentist to register me due to COVID until January when the tooth was already moving a little bit, even though abscess is a dental emergency, so they left me with no choice but to extract the tooth.
They extracted the tooth on the 21.01.2021 and the next morning I woke up like a different person with all these symptoms from a healthy active person.
First, to find out what’s going on, I kept going to my dentist (I had multiple dentist by then NHS and also Private).
All said, this has nothing to do with my symptoms and problem.
So I turned to my GP who was kind enough to send me for an MRI, ENT check-up and full blood test. All came back negative and perfect blood test.
So they changed my GP to another who seen me once and said this has nothing to do with any dental issues, tooth extraction can’t cause this and just diagnosed me with depression and mixed anxiety and prescribed all sort of medications.
Obviously I didn’t believe her as I experienced the changes after 12hours of a tooth extraction.
So I kept on going to different dentists, I was seen by at least 11 different dentists in UK.
I was fed up and went to Royal London hospital and set there until the maxillofacial team didn’t see me.
Finally once I was seen, they wrongly diagnosed me again of course with a nerve damage from a wisdom tooth surgery which wasn’t the case according to the symptoms.
So I called my GP again and again until they didn’t book an appointment to a neurologist.
Which they did but I wanted to see clear before I get another wrong diagnosis and booked an appointment also with a neurologist in Hungary where I was born.
The neurologist in Hungary told me not to believe any of that what they said about depression and said usually dental things do tricky things like this and keep going as long you don’t get answers.
I came back to UK and went to Homerton hospital to see the neurologist who diagnosed me with Vertigo, which is an ENT issue.
Episodes of spinning dizziness, comes with loosing balance. I had completely different symptoms but I was thinking I give a try for the physio therapy.
I got a very kind and helpful therapist (the only person ever really cared and helped).
She kept coming every week once to do physio with me for my balance and also listened every single word I said.
One morning she seen I’m sceptical about the diagnosis and she asked. I told her I believe is something to do with the pain on my face and could be maybe TMJ or nerve damage but her work was helping to get out of bed easier a bit.
Next week she came and said her boyfriend is clenching his teeth and TMJ makes symptoms like that.
I googled everything I could to find about TMJ and treatments as I didn’t want to get my hopes up again. Every little detail matched so I checked how does NHS treat this, funny thing again they saying it gets better on its own in 1-2 years. Of course not.
I booked a check-up with Dr Khan and he confirmed and diagnosed me end of September of 2022 and we started the Invisalign and today all my symptoms are gone so far, very mild pain I still experience but I am not finished with the treatment completely.
Taken 2 years of constant pain and suffering as there is no care in NHS anymore.
Most GPs and A&E doctors didn’t believe me.”
"I cannot recommend Invisalign enough"
“I started using Invisalign in 2016 and finished my final course in December 2018. I absolutely love my smile now and it is the best thing I could have invested in. I’ve been wanting to straighten my teeth since I was 17 but have always put it off due to not really wanting the “train track” type braces as an adult. I’m really happy I waited and found Dr Khan and Invisalign in 2016.
I explained to Dr Khan that I was initially only interested in straightening my teeth and this was fixed in about 6-8 months, it was an amazing result and I found it really easy to get used to wearing Invisalign. It didn’t irritate me, it all felt very hygienic and no one noticed that I was wearing dental braces and I only needed to visit Dr Khan every other month for a quick appointment, which meant it didn’t feel like a big task to be wearing Invisalign.
After my teeth was straightened Dr Khan explained that we could explore further what more we can do with Invisalign if I wanted to as I’ve mentioned to him before that I grind my teeth.
In 2008 my dentist pointed out to me that I am grinding my teeth and that I should consider getting a mouthguard to sleep with at night. As it was quite expensive I did not consider this until 2011 when my grinding became so bad that I would wake myself up at night having chipped my front tooth. I was scared I was going to break my teeth if I did not seek help. After visiting the dentist we ordered a mouthguard and he filled in the chip in my front tooth. It took some time to get used to the mouthguard as it is quite thick and uncomfortable and I’ve never worn anything like it before. The first initial months went okay wearing the mouthguard but then I started noticing that I would wake up at night and not be wearing it anymore. I’ve obviously taken it out in my sleep as it was annoying me so I’d have to search for it and put it back in. This routine would happen easily up to 5 times a night and I would always wake up in the morning having taken it out again. I had to have the chip in my front tooth filled in quite a few times as it just kept chipping (due to me being unable to sleep with my mouthguard) and eventually the dentist said that it is best I don’t fill the chip in my tooth in anymore as I’ll just chip it out again. Eventually I gave up using it and threw it away as it just did not work for me. I used to get a really stiff jaw and neck, my gums were receding and I suffered from bad headaches all due to grinding during this period which was not ideal after not having had any sleep.
Dr Khan assessed my teeth and we kept experimenting with Invisalign until the grinding stopped. It is a wonderful feeling as I’m not scared that I’ll wake up chipping my teeth anymore. We’ve adapted some of my lower teeth to be more hygienic, my gums have stopped receding, we widened my smile and all of this means my teeth are less crowded and my jaw is more relaxed. I don’t suffer from headaches anymore and all of this means I get a better night’s rest now and my teeth are much healthier – even my hygienist said that my teeth are the healthiest it’s ever been.
I cannot recommend Invisalign enough (and Dr Khan), all in all it was a great experience and one I would encourage you to consider if you had similar symptoms.”
"The positive impact on my overall well-being has been profound"
“Invisalign has been a game-changer for me, not only in transforming my smile but unexpectedly alleviating the frequency and intensity of my vestibular migraines. As someone who struggled with these debilitating vestibular migraines for years, I was pleasantly surprised to find a correlation between my orthodontic journey with Invisalign and the improvement in my migraine symptoms. These included dizziness, vertigo, anxiety, light sensitivity.
Interestingly, as my teeth gradually shifted into alignment, I noticed a significant reduction in the frequency of my vestibular migraines. The corrected alignment of my teeth have contributed to a more stable bite, relieving tension in my jaw and has helped to mitigate triggers for my vestibular migraines.
The positive impact on my overall well-being has been profound, and I am grateful for the unexpected health benefits that accompanied my decision to choose Invisalign for orthodontic treatment.
One thing to consider is that recovery isn’t instantaneous but Dr Khan has shown dedication and true passion to helping my symptoms to improve over a 2 year period.
I would also encourage others to combine Invisalign treatment with others that address the muscles on your neck and posture. Together, they have speeded up my symptoms improving. I have also considered reducing certain trigger foods. However, it was thanks to the Invisalign treatment with Dr Khan and osteopathy that I have been able to reintroduce certain foods.
In conclusion, Invisalign has not only transformed my smile but has also played a vital role in alleviating the burden of vestibular migraines. The journey to a straighter smile turned out to be a journey toward improved health and well-being, making Invisalign and Dr Khan’s knowledge an invaluable investment in both my dental and overall health. I highly recommend Invisalign not only for those seeking orthodontic correction but also for individuals looking to address unexpected health challenges related to dental alignment such as vestibular migraines.”
"Within a few months I started to feel results, with less jaw pain and less clicking."
“I suffered from quite severe TMD before my Invisalign treatment with Dr Khan. My jaw was locked for a couple of months and I had issues with clicking and locking very often as well as jaw pain.
I didn’t know how it could be treated until I searched on the internet and found Dr Khan who specialises in treating TMD.
I was skeptical at first that having Invisalign treatment would cure my TMD but it did! Within a few months I started to feel results, with less jaw pain and less clicking.
Over time it completely healed. Not only did it treat my TMD but it also corrected my bite. My smile and jawline look a lot better and my smile is wider.
I am really happy with the results!”
"I was desperate as I had to quit my job"
“My symptoms of vertigo and tinnitus started about 6 years ago and I was referred to ENT where the consultant told me it was all to do with my TMJ and put me in touch with a TMJ specialist in physical therapy. I tried this for a few months but I was still getting my vertigo episodes and the tinnitus.
I was desperate as I had to quit my job because it was overwhelming and I was getting vertigo for two weeks every month and was bedridden.
I researched it a lot and found Dr Fareed Khan online who treated TMJ sufferers and I finally embarked on my journey with him and Invisalign two years ago. The first year of Invisalign for TMJ helped me immensely and I only had two vertigo episodes that year. This year (2nd year) I have only had one episode. Currently it has been over 6 months of no vertigo and the tinnitus has diminished a lot.
I can exercise now which I couldn’t before and I feel better and relieved the pain caused by my TMJ has nearly gone.
I highly recommend DR Khan’s treatment for TMJ as it has highly improved my quality of life.”
"At a young age having all these symptoms, nobody took me serious. I am very grateful for having found Dr Khan."
” My existing TMJD symptoms started getting worse at the age of 19 when I suffered from neck trauma. I am now 29 years old, been in treatment with Dr Khan for 2 1/2 years so far.
Unfortunately where I used to live, no Doctor took my pain and suffering seriously. I started investigating and researching my symptoms, as they were not only painful but also contributing some heavy panic attacks.
The worst symptoms in the beginning were:
• Vertigo and feeling light footed
• Extreme loud jaw cracking and also excessive cracking for relief
• Ears consistently blocked as were the nostrils, daily Tinnitus
• Face feeling under so much pressure that my chin used to feel numb and my nerves felt twitchy on my face
• Panic attacks due to not knowing what was wrong
• Weekly migraines lasting at least 2 days, feeling sick, feeling exhausted and fatigue.
Over the years I tried everything, I went to ENT specialists, I went to Jaw Surgeons and to my GP, to a private Jaw Surgeon; they all said the same thing: it’s anxiety and stress.
I was so hopeless because I knew that this was not caused by anxiety and stress. The pain in my face was excruciating, I had heavy migraines and my vision started getting blurry at the age of 26. Just random bursts of daily Tinnitus. From my jaw and neck down, my arms started hurting, down to my back. I was getting exhausted at every move. Not able to breathe properly, I was told to get my septum fixed with surgery, I did – but it did not help. I could physically see that my jaw was moving side to side, it was moving in an almost zig-zag path when I opened and closed it with a sound of cracking at all times.
At a young age having all these symptoms, nobody took me serious. I was devastated, my face was changing and getting more and more asymmetrical and I was being told this was just my mental health. Since nobody was helping me, I started reading about my symptoms, I remembered when I was younger, my father used to have vertigo and cracking jaw (for over 10+ years), and his symptoms only got better the more teeth he had lost. So I assumed this may be genetic. Now my little sister is also suffering from this.
Over the time, I started breaking my front teeth due to extreme grinding at the ages of 19-22, my jaw would lock up sometimes, I could not eat properly anymore. The pain used to be unbearable. It feels surreal trying to remember those times now. Waking up with a stiff jaw every morning, never feeling rested. This is of course still taking some time to improve, but it’s already better by at least 50% after my treatment with Dr Khan. And that makes a big difference.
After doing my research, I knew so much about TMJD. So then at age 26, I had a Doctor in another country confirm that this was indeed a severe case of TMJD and that I would need invasive surgery and that I would need braces.
Unfortunately, as TMJD is still quite new, every Doctor seemed to have a differing opinion online. I personally was not fond of the idea of another surgery.
I also tried the recommended “botox treatment for bruxism”, which only left me with a paralysed face for more than a year but yet I was still able to “grind”. So I realised, the teeth grinding was a by-product of the misaligned jaw, regardless of paralysed muscles or not.
When I finally moved to London, I tried finding a Doctor who could treat me in a different way than those I had seen. I came to Dr Khan’s practice with my partner, and we listened to what he had to say. My partner and I immediately saw the aligning ideas with Dr Khan and myself. It was honestly very hard to trust another Dr after having suffered for so many years, I was of course sceptical.
Personally for me this treatment was not easy, because of the pain and trauma that was already there, but now that I am getting towards the end of it, I am grateful I did it. Most of my symptoms are alleviated by at least 50%, which makes living day to day SO MUCH easier. I am sure there are other factors contributing to some of my symptoms but the TMJD was making life hell. It was causing chronic pain, and now after I am done with this treatment, I am really looking forward to keeping myself healthy and also do some Physiotherapy.
This did not just help with physical pain but also psychologically, I just look better now, it was not what necessarily mattered, but I just never assumed my jaw and my face would look good. A lot of people even compliment me nowadays on my jaw. I also stopped smoking after so many years of being a smoker, and I do think that this was easier due to being on treatment, and smoking also alleviated a lot of muscle tension and pain, so I can only recommend for anyone out there to consider stopping as well. I am very grateful for having found Dr Khan.”
"I no longer woke up with the monstrous morning migraines."
“Before getting treatment from Fareed Khan I had been suffering from debilitating physical symptoms since August 2021. My symptoms were constant and included all-day migraines, vertigo, night-time grinding, dizziness, constant head pressure, light sensitivity, nausea, constant fatigue, brain fog, sinus issues and much more. I was severely impacted in my functioning at this point as I was a University student who was meant to be going in for their second year of University but due to the severity of my symptoms I was essentially trapped in a dark room for months, losing hope, depressed and anxious. I was unable to physically walk places without severe discomfort and felt as though I was permanently crippled at this point. Upon researching my symptoms online I had begun assuming the worst as it all seemed to point towards serious neurological disorders such as multiple scerorsis. I was desperate and went to my GP but they didn’t help much.
I then had to pay out of my own pocket to get MRI’s done to rule out neurological disorders. The MRI came back clear, which was confusing. As my desperation grew I started to try out more and more different treatments that would claim to cure me such as vestibular rehabilitation, botox, physiotherapy and even an occipital nerve block. These treatments gave me no significant reductions in my symptoms. All the while my doctors were pumping me with different medications that were not only ineffective but also made my head feel weird and made me so unlike myself. I must have tried about 7 different medications, for example: prochlorperazine, betahistamine, sumatriptan, propranalol, noritriptyline, amitriptyline and topirimate. The medications didn’t seem to reduce my symptoms and came with disturbing side-effects.
After all of this, I began doing more intensive research online and stumbled into TMJ and how that could be the potential cause of my symptoms. I found Fareed’s page and read the testimonials and was relieved to see that other people who shared similar symptoms were able to find some relief through TMJ treatments. I then contacted Fareed, booked my appointment and began my Invisalign journey. As time went on I started to notice subtle things, such as how my night-time grinding began to disappear and I no longer woke up with the monstrous morning migraines that I was once afflicted by. After about 5 months I noticed that my dizziness and vertigo were significantly reduced, I no longer felt as much pressure in my jaw and head and my physical mobility was better. After 8 months I feel almost back to normal and I have been catching up with my University assignments for this year and I’m on-track to pass the year. None of this would have been possible without Fareed and getting this Invisalign treatment definitely got me out of the dumps and back to living something that resembles a real life again.”
"I feel like I have my life back again and it’s only going to get better."
“For the past 4 – 5 years I had been suffering with an array of unexplained symptoms.
– Off balance/rocking feeling (felt like I was constantly on a boat swaying sensation)
– Dizziness
– Vertigo
– Sinus Pressure
– Facial and Tongue Spasms
– Ear Fullness/Tinnitus/Ear Pain
– Tension/Pressure Headaches
– Migraines
– General Anxiety/Panic Attacks
…and many other things
The biggest change since having Invisalign was the vertigo/dizziness/rocking feeling. This has basically gone. This was by far the most debilitating symptom I had. Most of the other things I was suffering from have either completely gone or so much more manageable.
The dizziness/vertigo was the main concern. It was taking over my life. I had to leave my job, it gave me severe anxiety and depression because no one could tell me where it was coming from. I saw every single type of doctor, ENTs, neurologists, eye doctors and even therapists because everyone was convinced I was making the whole thing up as nothing came back from the various tests I had.
After being at my wits-end knowing I wasn’t crazy, I decided to do some real research and I stumbled across some articles about TMJ. I have never heard of it before but everything I had was listed as a possible symptom.
I done my research and found Dr Khan. He has changed my life! The vertigo that ruled over me has now gone and I can safely say this is from the treatment of the Invisalign. I haven’t even finished my course yet but the difference I have is unimaginable. I feel like I have my life back again and it’s only going to get better.
Everyone who has unexplained symptoms similar to mine especially vertigo/unbalanced/motion sickness should go get their teeth checked as I firmly believe that is the cause.”
"I have seen a significant improvement in my daily life as a result of this treatment."
“I decided to have Invisalign treatment for cosmetic reasons. However, it was only on consultation with Dr Khan that he assessed that my 20 years of suffering migraines could in part be down to orthodontics I had as a teenager. So in addition to Invisalign straitening out a few teeth, Dr Khan was also going to reshape my jaw and my bite to help improve my migraines.
It took about 12 months before I noticed an improvement in my migraines. Meanwhile from a cosmetic perspective my teeth were looking exactly as I had hoped, so to then realise the benefit of improving my migraines was a fantastic bonus. It certainly helped me stick for what will be close to 20 months of treatment because the results have kept coming. I am now at the stage where it is more unusual for me to have a headache or migraine. Before I started Invisalign with Dr Khan, over the course of a month if I had one or two days without a severe headache or migraine that would have been a great month.
It’s not an immediate remedy but as I was seeing results while undergoing the treatment it really helped me stay the course. I have seen a significant improvement in my daily life as a result of this treatment.”
"After just weeks of Invisalign, my symptoms reduced massively."
“I had been battling with TMD symptoms and jaw pain for several years, regularly waking up with a locked jaw most mornings. I had been referred to the hospital to get a MRI scan to look more closely at the joints in which they told me I had a displacement on the left side but there was little they could do to help me. I was also told there wasn’t a cure unless I went in for jaw surgery – something they hardly ever do.
They sent me off with some jaw exercises and muscular relaxants and told me to wait it out and be patient – it should get better soon.
This was very frustrating news to receive and so I began researching treatments for TMD, which is when I discovered Perfect Smile and Dr Khan and his use of Invisalign to improve TMD symptoms.
After an initial consultation with Dr Khan, I felt relieved. Finally something to treat my condition!
After just weeks of Invisalign, my symptoms reduced massively. I no longer woke up with a sore locked jaw, there was no grinding, little to no headaches and no pain in my joints.
I couldn’t believe it! And to top it all off, I now have beautifully straight teeth which is an added bonus!
I was extremely impressed by Dr Khan’s knowledge of my bite and jaw and how Invisalign worked to transform this. I’m extremely grateful to Dr Khan and cannot recommend him and this treatment enough.”
"I finally can breathe effortlessly during the day and without snoring during the night."
“After months of searching for the reason causing my spasticity with ataxic gait episodes, I was told by the chiropractor that the problem is dental malocclusion, in my case deep bite.
I was glad to find Dr Khan, who’s treatment with Invisalign corrected my bite. Already 4th month into the treatment, my spasticity was gone and I could taper off muscle relaxants.
As a bonus I have beautiful wide smile and because of expanded arches my tongue finally has enough space to rest without obstructing my airways. I finally can breathe effortlessly during the day and without snoring during the night. I am very grateful to Dr Khan and his brilliant team.”
"The treatment has transformed me."
“When I first heard about Invisalign and how it can improve TMD I went to Perfect Smile to see if something could be done to improve the neck pain I was having every morning due to grinding my teeth when asleep.
After a few discussions with Dr. Khan, I decided to go ahead with the treatment.
18 months later my condition decreased, and to my surprise, even my constant chronic sinusitis disappeared. I now rarely have a blocked nose, even if I have the flu. My sense of smell has improved too.
The treatment has transformed more than the aesthetic of my smile – there are various non-cosmetic benefits too.
I was very impressed by Dr. Khan’s vast knowledge of the bite and jaw, which gave me lots of confidence in making the decision to take up the treatment and I am very pleased I did.”
"I have noticed a remarkable benefit to my migraines."
“I had suffered with migraines ever since I can remember and after a particularly stressful time, I was finding that I more or less had what felt like a constant daily low level migraine, which would peak to a full migraine once a week.
Over the counter medicines wouldn’t touch the sides, and after trying a course of Propanolol, Pizotifen and Amitriptyline medication from my doctor and greater occipital nerve injections, I had been advised by a private specialist that my only next course of action was extremely expensive Botox treatment (which likely would have been a lifelong expense).
Fortunately, during a routine check up, my dentist asked if I suffered from headaches, as she had noticed some jaw misalignment. Shortly after, I signed up for Invisalign treatment with Dr Fareed Khan and I have to say 2.5 years on, I have noticed a remarkable benefit to my migraines. I have gone from virtually no migraine-free days to now only having an attack once every few months, and at a much more manageable level. I am certain that the Invisalign had a huge part to play in this progress. It took a long time (at least a year) before I really noticed the benefits, but I am so glad I stuck with it as it’s been life changing to rid myself of the pain and exhaust of life with migraines.
What’s been a wonderful benefit too is how fantastic my teeth are looking! All my friends and family comment on how great they are! It was definitely the right decision for me.”
"I hadn't realised that what I was living with could be fixed."
“I am very thankful to have undergone Invisalign treatment. I had braces as a child and some teeth removed but as an adult suffered from a receding jaw and tension headaches around my jaw and temples. I addressed this with Dr Khan in a consultation where he explained some of the benefits to using Invisalign. I hadn’t realised that what I was living with could be fixed – I had become used to this my whole adult life, 15-20 years.
2 years later (a longer treatment due to Coronavirus), I am now completely pain free in my jaw and I have no headaches. I also have benefited from the aesthetic side effects of the treatment – straight teeth, a matching bite, more confidence in my smile/chin placement, my sinuses feel clearer and my cheekbones are fuller. I am incredibly grateful for the treatment and think it is a worthy investment for anyone suffering from similar problems.”
"Invisalign treatment has been the most successful treatment that I received for my TMD"
“I started to have pain in one of my upper left molar in Winter 2013. I saw several dentists, who tried (and failed) to treat this pain with root canal treatments. Eventually, I decided that I wanted this molar to be extracted. The pain did not disappear after the extraction and I was referred to a facial pain specialist, who treated me for neuralgia. This did not help either.
Another dentist that I saw after that suggested to remove the wisdom tooth in that area. That did not help either. For a few years, I managed my pain by wearing night guards and aligners, which helped with my grinding and clenching of my jaw, which in turn reduced the pain. In 2016, I saw another facial pain specialist, who suggested a combination of facial exercises and Botox treatment in the mandibular muscle areas every 3 to 6 months. I followed this programme for a year or so. Although it helped me manage the pain, it never completely went away. I didn’t think it was addressing the cause of the issue, but only the symptoms.
In October 2018, I heard about the Invisalign treatment and its potential to help with TMD. I had an appointment with Dr. Fareed, who suggested that if we correct my bite it would help my pain. In order to do that, I need to use Invisalign for up to 2 years and have an implant to replace my missing molar. Dr Fareed also found a cyst under one of my lower molars, which was extracted by another surgeon before I started my Invisalign treatment. Unfortunately, I lost my wisdom tooth and a molar during this operation. Since then until August 2019, I used Invisalign aligners over 20 hours a day and I got relief from my pain, mostly whilst wearing the aligners. In August 2019, we started the implant treatment to replace my missing molar, which will be completed around January/February 2020. In the meantime, I started to wear my last aligner only during night time and I realised that my pain and discomfort is minimal during day time even without the aligners.
I can say that, although it is not yet completed, the Invisalign treatment has been the most successful treatment that I received for my TMD. I believe that once I have my implant and last set of aligners, I will have dealt with my TMD. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who has TMD. It is a long treatment and requires some patience but ultimately, it is worth it.”
"Dr Khan's treatment plan completely blew me away and exceeded all expectations."
“I first visited Dr Khan in late 2018 for an Invisalign consultation. As a child I’d been told that I didn’t need braces but as I grew older I became more conscious of my teeth which were quite crowded, so my reasons for seeking treatment were purely aesthetic to begin with. I had visited another dentist for a quote and they had suggested I have teeth taken out in order to accommodate having Invisalign, but on speaking to a friend she assured me that probably wasn’t the case and recommended I visit Dr Khan.
At my initial consultation I can remember being a bit confused by the questions I was asked. Dr Khan asked if suffered with headaches at all – yes I did, I had long suffered from tension headaches that had always been attributed to stress. Did my jaw click – yes it did and it was something I just thought I had to live with. Did I suffer with sinus issues – yes, I used to often have problems with my sinuses. Did I have neck pain – yes down the left side of my neck it used to ache an awful lot (incidentally the same side my jaw clicked). Were there any other ailments I had worth noting in my head/ neck area – yes I had an ear (again left side) that felt continually blocked and like I needed to yawn to unblock it, irritating my clicking jaw in the meantime. I had actually been to the Drs about my ear and they had said there was no concern from anything they could see and it was something to live with, they recommended using a nasal spray as it could be linked to my sinuses, but that never did anything so I had just accepted it was not going away.
After all these questions, Dr Khan then did the assessment on my teeth and took pictures of my face and jaw. When we sat back down to go through them, he explained why he had asked all the questions, pointing out that many of the problems I had been facing were likely linked to how my jaw was set. It was fascinating to listen and felt incredible to finally have someone taking these things seriously and offering a potential solution. As I say, I had visited for purely aesthetic reasons to begin with, but the reason I commenced the treatment and signed up right away was because of that initial consultation.
Upon commencing treatment the first thing I noticed was my clicking jaw, within a matter of months this had settled and was nowhere near as prevalent as it had been previously. Having completed my treatment now, the click in my jaw has completely disappeared. The other thing that went away quite quickly was the tension headaches, which seemed markedly less strong and became less and less frequent as we moved through the treatment. As pressure was eased from my face and my jaw reset, the restrictions I had felt within my sinuses also eased – which meant less colds and stuffy noses during the winter and hay fever season.
Two years later I have completed my treatment and can honestly say it was the best thing I ever did. On the aesthetic side, not only is my smile much straighter, but my face more symmetrical, but going well beyond that the treatment managed to correct many ailments I had just accepted I was to live with. My ear is now unblocked 90% of the time, which is absolutely amazing as I now no longer need to continually yawn to try and unblock it. The neck pain I experienced has also significantly eased. Tension headaches have now all but disappeared, and when they do arise I know they are actually stress related and not anything else. My sinuses remain unblocked and I can breathe much more freely.
I genuinely cannot recommend Dr Khan enough. His treatment plan completely blew me away and exceeded all expectations.”
"It will completely change their lives for the better."
“I used to suffer from big headaches and jaw pain particularly in the last few years. I have visited different doctors and none of them gave me a solution for it apart from taking painkillers. In the end, I thought I had just to accept the condition and live with it. However everything changed when I met Dr Khan.
Around three years ago, I was considering to get a dental implant, so I had an appointment with Dr Khan. During my first visit he found out that I was suffering from teeth grinding and jaw clenching. He also explained to me that my upper jaw was smaller than my lower one and that could be one of the reasons of having the headaches and pain in my jaw. He suggested that with Invisalign, he could expand my upper jaw as well as getting my teeth straighter, particularly the front ones, and hopefully the headaches and pain on my jaw will fade away.
When I left the surgery I was so excited – it was the first time that a doctor has told me a reason and a solution at the same time for my several pains, so of course, I agreed and I started with Invisalign.
It has been three years now and I don’t suffer anymore from headaches and any pain on my jaw, furthermore I used to suffer also from sinusitis and I have seen a huge improvement since wearing Invisalign, so I believe that it has helped a lot in that area as well.
Dr Khan is a very professional, kind, enthusiastic and supportive individual and he is always doing further research and studies on the holistic benefits of the Invisalign therapy. And I will strongly and highly recommend to anyone who might have similar symptoms as I had and haven’t found yet a solution to it, to book an appointment with Dr Khan and try Invisalign. It will completely change their lives for the better.”
"I'm now successfully treated where all others failed."
“In 2013, I was having a drink and swallowed strangely, it felt like I’d pulled a muscle in my throat. It really hurt, and almost immediately I noticed my left ear began to block up. I was really alarmed at this, and thought it would surely heal, but it didn’t. My ear seemed to block up on a whim, and it lasted for hours, and sometimes the whole day. It hurt, I got a shooting pain and an aching pain from my ear to my mouth and it was irritating too because all I could hear was my heart beat. Everyone said to blow my nose, yawn, etc etc, the usual, but it didn’t work. The only thing which gave me a few seconds of relief was to tilt my head back. This seemed to stretch some part of some tube or other and my ear would clear. Or if I looked down, and bent my head downwards this sometimes worked. But generally the only relief I got was a few moments of clearance. As soon as my head went to it’s normal position, the ear blocked up again. Sometimes it worked and cleared it for the rest of the day, most times it didn’t. Sometimes my only relief was to lie down with my head tilted backwards. I used to spend periods of time in tears because it was so unpleasant. It was ruining my life.
I went to the doctors, who referred me to Benendon. Here I had pressure tests, hearing tests, and cameras down my throat or nose. But they never could find anything wrong. They sent me away with a “you’ll just have to put up with it”. I went back to the doctors and was referred to the NHS ENT specialists, same thing again, they couldn’t find anything wrong.
I saw a homeopath and visited a Chinese Herbalist, but the treatment didn’t work (acupuncture, teas, tinctures etc).
I also noticed that when I was under stress or pressure the symptoms came on and lasted all day. Perhaps the way I held my jaw or something?
At the end of my tether, you find me in 2016. One of the girls at work had just come back from seeing Dr Khan for a brace. She told me he was a holistic dentist, he treated the whole face and jaw, not just the teeth…. I made the decision then and there that I’d see him, and made an appointment.
He asked me lots of questions about my general health, headaches (which I had daily), jaw ache, how my ears behaved when flying (agony), neck, shoulders etc etc. He explained how he believed the treatment would help. It would help to drain my sinuses, help to ease my headaches, and most importantly would re align my jaw so that it didn’t press against the tube in my ear which potentially was what was causing my blockages (he x-rayed and showed me how my jaw was resting). I had absolutely every faith it would work and began treatment.
A year in, and my ear was still blocking up… my headaches had eased so that I barely noticed them, but my ear was still blocking up. I was still under the NHS ENT specialists, and went again for more tests, and again they couldn’t find anything wrong. But my ears were still blocking up…. and then I noticed they weren’t blocking up as much… and soon I realised that when I cleared them, it generally worked straight away and lasted… and my headaches had gone… Sometimes it got worse and I was miserable, and even said to Dr Khan “It isn’t working, is all this worth it?”! to which I’d get a lecture which made sense and I’d go away with positivity!
The NHS ENT specialists wanted to refer me to some other specialist to do with splints for jaws and stuff as a last resort, but Dr Khan forbade me! And with good reason, and anyway, I wanted to carry on with the treatment, as long as it takes, even if it takes 5 years I didn’t care…
At intervals I had new photographs which showed how my teeth were changing, and of course my teeth were now nice and straight and everyone was commenting but it didn’t really mean that much to me because what I really wanted to change was my ear. Mind you, now I could see positive changes and I loved them! My lips were fuller, my jaw wasn’t so set back, and my teeth were straight! The chips I had in them were repaired and they stayed repaired!
About a year ago I realised that my ear was hardly blocking up at all (before treatment it had been weekly, and in many cases, daily), and when it did block it was only for literally 5 seconds max. And then about 3 months ago I realised that my ear wasn’t blocking up at ALL. When I used to go to the gym the humidity of a workout made it block up, but it doesn’t seem to any more. I couldn’t sleep on my left side before because it used to make my ear block up for the whole day, and now it doesn’t! I can now sleep on my left side with no side effects whatsoever! I’ve very recently suffered an unexpected bereavement, and my ear hasn’t blocked up once. Not once. On very rare occasions my ear goes as if to block up, it goes how it used to go before it blocked up and I sometimes think “oh no, oh no!” but it never (touch wood) actually does block up.
I’ve still got a little longer to go with the treatment, and I’m keen to continue with it, but if you’ve tried everything and everything’s failed, and you’re in pain and at your wits end, this mode of treatment will work. I highly recommend it, and specifically Dr Khan. Any old dentist can fit a brace and make your teeth straight, but it’s because of the forward thinking of Dr Khan and his research into how the jaw and teeth can be changed to treat other ailments that’s made the difference and made the treatment worthwhile. I didn’t care about my teeth before, they were chipped and crooked and all sorts – it was my ear and jaw that worried me, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m now successfully treated where all others failed.”
"After a couple of weeks, it was clear that the treatment was working."
“I have always had blocked sinuses, since I can remember. I had always put it down to hayfever and dust allergies which didn’t improve with tablets or nasal sprays. I had accepted that this was something I was going to have to deal with for the rest of my life.
18 months ago I started suffering from headaches, I would wake up most mornings and feel that I had been clenching my jaw all night. My cheek bones would be tender to touch and my neck pain was increasing. On two occasions I lost my vision for at least 30 minutes.
Initially, I visited the opticians, they diagnosed me with astigmatism and dry eyes. I started wearing my glasses when working at a computer screen and using eye drops 3 times a day. No change to my symptoms.
After a couple of months I went to the doctors and they took me off the contraceptive pill – another couple of months passed and no change in my symptoms. In the meantime, I started wearing a mouthguard at night as I felt my teeth were moving, I started to develop a gap between my two front teeth. I had also started suffering from rebound syndrome from nasal spray overuse.
I started to think that my teeth may have been causing my symptoms so booked to see Dr Khan for an Invisalign appointment. Thankfully, Dr Khan’s specialism in TMD provided me with the confidence that this treatment may actually work. After a couple of weeks, it was clear that the treatment was working. I stopped waking up with such a stiff jaw and the headaches began to subside. By 6 months, my sinuses were the best they have been and I could breathe through my nose with no issues!
I cannot fault the treatment. Dr Khan took the time to listen to my symptoms and developed a treatment plan to suit my needs. I would recommend anyone suffering from similar symptoms to book in for a consultation with Dr Khan. Once he explains the science behind using Invisalign to ameliorate your symptoms, it’s a no brainer.
Thank you Dr Khan, I can’t imagine what life would have been like if I didn’t start my TMD treatment.”