TMJ is something we treat in the office. We do refer out to some specialists, like physical therapy, for example, or orthodontist. Sometimes we work in tandem with those different specialties to get the patient treated appropriately. One of the first lines of defense is just a simple night guard, and we recommend a lot of those, because we do see a lot of TMJ, and it’s more or less an epidemic these days. People are grinding, they’re stressed. We live in a high, fast-paced world, and people tend to clench and grind more than in previous generations. So we see quite a lot of that, and we, as our first line of defense, we’ll often make a night guard and see if that reduces the symptoms or completely gets rid of them.
And then if that doesn’t work, we’ll go to the next stage, which may be a physical therapist, because a lot of times it’s because of tight muscles or muscles that’s out of position, or they have a lot of adhesions in the fascia of the muscles. And then if that doesn’t work, sometimes we’ll get the orthodontist, it could be a tooth alignment issue. Having teeth that are out of alignment can cause disharmony in the joints, which is the source of most TMJ. Then there can be just other options that we have to explore, like a surgeon. Sometimes there’s a tear in the capsule around the joint of the jaw we have to explore but those are rare by far, in a way. Most commonly, it’s just people grinding because of just tension, and that’s what we deal with mostly, but again, it’s the cause of the and we deal with that with a night guard.
End Your TMJ Troubles With a Custom Mouthguard
TMJ disorders involve your temporomandibular joints, which connect your lower jaw to your skull. You can have problems if the joints become dislocated, inflamed, or otherwise stressed. TMJ disorders can develop for a variety of reasons, but teeth grinding is a common contributing factor.
You may not be aware that you are clenching and grinding your teeth. Many people do it at night while they are sleeping. Even so, it can affect both your dental health and your overall health.
If grinding is bad enough, it can damage your teeth, gums, and even your underlying bone structure. Because of this, our team looks for signs of grinding during every dental exam. If we find any, we’ll likely recommend a mouthguard. It works by protecting your teeth and keeping pressure off your jaw. If your teeth are already damaged, we can repair them with restorative dentistry.
To treat TMJ problems, we take impressions of your teeth and other measurements to create a custom mouthguard. This kind of guard is worn while you sleep. It prevents you from grinding your teeth together while keeping your jaw in a relaxed position.
You should make an appointment with us if you have more than one of these symptoms:
- Jaw pain
- Frequent headaches or earaches
- Clicking when you open or close your jaw
- Difficulty opening your jaw
- Jaw stiffness
- Facial swelling
Call 256-274-8680 today to schedule your visit to River Oaks Dental Care. Find out about Decatur TMJ treatment for teeth grinding and jaw pain. You can also schedule online. Our friendly dental office is a short drive from Wilson Morgan Park.