TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull. These are the joints that slide and rotate to move your mouth and other parts of your jaw. With that said, TMJ disorders are conditions that affect the jaw joints and the surrounding muscles. This can be caused by potential trauma, improper bite, and arthritis. Common symptoms may include jaw tenderness, headaches, earaches and facial pain. If you find yourself experiencing one of these symptoms, contact your doctor or your dentist right away!
Treatment of TMD begins with a comprehensive clinical examination, to check your face, jaw, bite, joints, and teeth. During your appointment, we will check for pain and tenderness and listen for clicking or popping when you open and close your mouth, swallow, or chew. If the disorder is diagnosed, a bite splint or night guard is often recommended as the initial treatment.
Botox
Botox is one of our most-recommended treatments for TMJ disorder. Tight muscles are often the cause or a contributing factor to your TMJ issues. Botox relaxes your jaw muscles, eliminates tension in your mouth, and prevents grinding and clenching.
Occlusal Splints
Occlusal splints are custom-created plastic mouthpieces, designed to fit over your upper and/or lower teeth. These type of devices prevent the grinding and clenching that often causes or worsens TMD. The splint also realigns the jaw, removing stress on the surrounding area.
Invisalign
If a bite issue is the cause of your TMJ pain, we may recommend Invisalign or braces to fix the alignment of your jaw.
Like other kinds of pain it all depends on the severity. Minor discomfort from TMJ can usually go away without any treatment. However, anyone with more severe symptoms should look into an evaluation to avoid future problems with their jaw.
As mentioned, TMJ can be caused by potential trauma, improper bite, and arthritis. With that said, things happen and you may still be experiencing symptoms like jaw tenderness, headaches, earaches and facial pain. If so, look to get an evaluation as soon as possible!
Because of where TMJ is located on the body, it can be a very painful experience. For anyone who has suffered from the TMJ pain knows exactly how draining it can be. The pain often starts with soreness in the temple or popping when you yawn. This can quickly escalate into daily migraines, difficulty eating and permanent damage to your teeth.
In general, TMJ can be considered both a medical and dental issue. Because there are various ways to obtain TMJ it cannot be deemed just a dental issue. However, it’s very important to understand the disorder and how a treatment plan can be put in place.
Yes! As time goes on, TMJ will eventually alter the shape of your face. This is only if the disorder goes untreated keep in mind. Nonetheless, your facial symmetry will be lost, as youth teeth will begin to change and over time your jaw may even begin to appear more swollen and square.
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