Patients · Start Here
Your Jaw Problem Is Real, and It Can Be Measured
Clicking, locking, aching muscles, headaches that start at the temples, teeth that no longer meet, nights of clenching. If you have been told to live with it, or handed a night guard and sent home, this section is for you. Dr. Westersund and Team look at the jaw as part of the whole person — teeth to toes — and measure before treating.
How We Think
Pain Is Where Protection Fails
The body protects you long before anything hurts. A jaw held back to keep an airway open, a head carried forward, a bite that makes the muscles brace — none of these are injuries. They are load. Symptoms are the overflow. We look for what is filling the bucket.
Teeth to Toes
The jaw is part of a connected system
Three Steps
A Free Zoom Meet-and-Greet
Tell us your story. We tell you honestly whether a visit makes sense.
Five Days in Calgary
Day one is consultations with Dr. Westersund, the Biomechanical Therapist and the Upper Cervical chiropractor. Records are taken and treatment can begin the same week.
Return Visits Every Two to Three Weeks
Care is staged and measured, typically over six to twelve months depending on what your case needs.
Common Problems
Choose the One That Sounds Like You
Explore some of the common problems patients experience and see if any sound familiar. These examples can help you better understand what you’re noticing, but they are not a diagnosis.
Jaw
My Jaw Clicks or Pops When I Open
A click or pop on one or both sides when you open wide, yawn or bite into something.
My Jaw Locks or Will Not Open Fully
Opening feels blocked at a certain point, as if something is in the way.
My Jaw Muscles Ache and Feel Tight
An ache or tightness in the cheek muscle or the temple, on one side or both.
It Hurts When I Chew or Bite Down
A jab or ache in a tooth when you bite on it, which then settles.
My Face Aches and Nobody Knows Why
A dull ache in the cheek, the temple, behind or around the eye, or in front of the ear, on one or both sides.
My Jaw Slips Out and My Joints Are Loose
A jaw that clicks, slips out and comes back, or opens much wider than other people's.
My Jaw Problems Started After Dental Work
Back teeth that no longer meet the way they did, or a bite that has felt off since the appointment.
Head & Neck
I Get Headaches Almost Every Day
A pressing or tight ache in the temples, often on both sides.
My Migraines Put Me in Bed
Migraine already diagnosed by your doctor, with medication that helps some but not enough.
I Wake Up with a Headache
A headache in the temples or forehead that is there the moment you wake.
My Neck Hurts and My Jaw Is Tight
A neck that never seems to relax, tight at the base of the skull.
My Ears Ache or Ring but Tests Were Normal
An ache in or around one ear, with no infection found.
I Feel Dizzy and Off Balance
Light-headed or unsteady, often worse when standing or upright.
My Jaw, Neck and Back All Hurt
Pain that moves from the jaw to the neck, back or hips.
Teeth & Bite
My Lower Jaw Sits Too Far Back
Your upper front teeth cover most of your lower front teeth when you bite together.
My Back Teeth Don't Touch Any More
When you close, your front teeth meet first and your back teeth hover, or one side touches before the other.
My Teeth Are Wearing Down and Chipping
Front teeth that look shorter, flatter or squared off, with edges that chip or look see-through.
My Teeth Are Sensitive but There's No Cavity
A tooth that twinges when you bite or chew, and the twinge comes and goes.
Sleep & Breathing
I Clench and Grind My Teeth at Night
Sore, tired or tight jaw muscles when you wake up.
I Snore, or My Partner Says I Stop Breathing
Snoring that a partner mentions, sometimes with gasps or pauses.
I Wake Up Tired, However Long I Sleep
Waking heavy and foggy, as if the night did not count.
My Child Snores and Breathes Through Their Mouth
Lips apart at rest, dry or chapped lips, dark circles under the eyes.
Coming to Calgary
Planning Your Visit to Calgary
If you are travelling to Calgary for care, we want you to know what to expect before you arrive. Start here for practical information about your visit, fees, our team and what to do before you travel.
Your Visit to Calgary
Where we are, how to get here from the airport, hotels within walking distance, and what your first five days may look like.
Fees and Our Team
Learn about the $650 CAD consultation, the Whole Body Approach team, and why treatment fees are determined after we have measured and assessed you.
Before You Travel
If you are flying in, we begin with a Zoom conversation. Learn what to send us ahead of time and what to consider when planning your care.
Start with a Free Zoom Meet-and-Greet
Twenty minutes with Dr. Westersund and Team. If we do not think we can help, we will say so.