TMJ TREATMENT
Experts in Treating Jaw Pain
If you’re experiencing sudden or ongoing jaw pain, you may have Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. TMJ disorder causes pain in the jaw joint and muscles that move the jaw. This joint connects the lower jaw to the skull, allowing for movements like chewing and speaking. They can cause pain, discomfort, and difficulty in moving the jaw, often accompanied by symptoms such as clicking sounds, headaches, and facial pain. Causes include injury, arthritis, teeth grinding, and stress. Effective treatment may involve lifestyle changes, medication, physical therapy, or, in severe cases, surgery. At our practice, we provide comprehensive evaluations and personalized treatment plans to alleviate TMJ symptoms and improve your quality of life.
TMJ disorder can go away quickly or persist for a long time, causing an array of problems to the jaw and mouth, along with the face, head and other parts of the body. At Go Dental, we understand that the pain you may be experiencing is not only uncomfortable, but it may also interrupt your day to day responsibilities. Our goal is to help patients manage pain associated with TMJ disorder.
Causes Of TMJ
The exact causes can be difficult to determine and may be due to multiple or a combination of factors. Your genetics, a previous injury, trauma, jaw misalignment, arthritis and stress are all possible explanations.
Signs and symptoms include:
If you think you have TMJ disorder, it’s important to seek medical treatment right away. Your symptoms may go away on their own, but dental treatment can help provide relief. Our TMJ treatments include replacing missing teeth, moving teeth, adjusting the bite, filling gaps between teeth, aligning the jaw and using a mouthpiece to prevent clenching or grinding of the teeth. Surgery is rare and should only be considered if other treatment options prove unsuccessful.
ASSESSING YOUR BITE AT OUR VALENCIA OFFICE
Since TMJ disorder can be associated with misalignment of the jaw, your dentist will check your jaw alignment. If your dentist finds that your jaw is misaligned, we will be better able to understand how to treat your specific condition. From there, your dentist may recommend treatment to help realign your bite. In certain cases, dental implants may help improve your symptoms and your dentist will determine if dental implants are right for you. Typically, our dental experts first recommend less invasive techniques to manage TMJ disorder before considering treating the disorder with dental implants.
Other ways to treat TMJ may include:
WHAT IS CLENCHING
Patients with TMJ disorder often find themselves clenching their teeth in an attempt to find relief from jaw pain or tightness in the jaw. Grinding and clenching, also called bruxism, often occurs throughout the night, and night guards can help. Night guards prevent patients from damaging and causing jaw discomfort while they sleep by absorbing any impact. At Go Dental, our dentists may recommend a specific kind of night guard depending on your needs.
Jaw pain is not only irritating, but it can disrupt everyday life and affect other parts of the body. At Go Dental, we will help get to the root of your pain. We understand that every patient is different and that a universal treatment does not exist, especially with TMJ disorder. If you’re ready to put a stop to your jaw point, schedule an appointment with us by calling 661-257-0880, or making an appointment online.
