Restore Function and Relieve Pain

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What is TMJ?

The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) on either side of your head connect your jaw to your skull, allowing your jaw to function properly – opening and closing your mouth, chewing, speaking. Because they can move in many different directions (forward, back, sideways), these joints are some of the most complex in your body. Inflammation of the jaw joint or other issues with these joints is called TMJ disorder. 

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Symptoms of TMJ DISORDERS

• Pain (jaw, face, ears)
• Migraine-like headaches
• Pain and pressure behind eyes
• Pain, clicking or popping opening and closing mouth

• Usually caused by a shifting of the disk inside the joint. Clicking does not mean it’s a TMJ issue, because one third of all people have jaw joints that click, studies show. But, if clicking also includes pain or limited jaw function, like the jaw getting stuck open or closed, it’s probably TMJ. 

• Jaw issues (feels out of join, sore muscles)

• Usually felt in cheeks and temples where jaw-closing muscles live. Morning soreness and stiffness often means teeth are clenching and/or grinding at night.

• Swollen face

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Common causes of TMJ DISORDERS

• Injury or dislocation
• Teeth clenching (often from stress)
• Poor posture
• Disk erosion
• Arthritis
• Poor tooth or jaw alignment

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Benefits of Treatment

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Pain Relief

Treatment with our team can relieve persistent TMJ symptoms like headaches, a locked jaw, clicking when opening the mouth, and pain around the jaw joint.

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Long-term Oral Health

TMJ can cause long-term oral health issues like worn teeth, decayed teeth, or more serious joint damage. Treatment restores proper function to help your jaw and mouth work as intended.

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Life Change

If you've been living with TMJ, you’ve probably been modifying your life to minimize your symptoms. Headaches may limit your social engagements. Difficulty chewing may impact your diet. Discomfort may have you using more pain medication. Treatment can dramatically change your life for the better. 

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Pursuing Treatment

We offer options to relieve and resolve TMJ concerns ranging from dental splints to relaxation techniques and therapies to helpful medications.

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 1.Assessment

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We begin by thoroughly assessing your situation including analyzing your symptoms, evaluating your jaw and mouth, and listening to your concerns.

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2.Treatment Options

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Custom dental appliance

Usually, we will use a bite plate or splint to keep your upper teeth from grinding against your lower teeth

Orthodontic treatment

Because TMJ is related to tooth and jaw alignment issues, sometimes orthodontic treatment can help resolve the symptoms.

Hot and cold packs

Used with guidance from our team, hot and cold packs can help alleviate pain

Muscle relaxing medications

Carefully prescribed muscle relaxing medications can relieve the tension in your jaw and the related pain

Learning relaxation techniques

We share relaxation techniques to reduce the amount of tension you may unknowingly hold in your jaw. When the tension goes, so does the pain.

Surgery

In more extreme cases, surgery may be needed to alleviate TMJ symptoms.

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Contact us today for a complimentary TMJ consultation to discover the treatment solution that will work best to restore function and relieve pain.

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