Temporomandibular joint syndrome, more commonly called TMJ or TMJD is a disorder of the jaw muscles and nerved that can be caused by injury to the temporomandibular joint – which is the joint that connects the jawbone to the skull. Some of the more common signs of TMJ are pain when chewing, clicking and popping at the jaw, swelling, headaches, clenching and grinding and sometimes even dislocation of the joint.
Cadena Family Dentistry believed that an educated patient is an effective patient and so we would like to share with you a few of the risk factors for TMJ:
For some TMJ sufferers, massage and manual manipulation are enough to treat the problem. For others, however, professional intervention is necessary. This can be anything from Botox injections into the muscle to relax it all the way up to surgery on the jaw. We here at Cadena Family Dentistry offer several solutions for patients suffering with TMJ.
Firstly, we can explore the option of a dental splint or “bite guard”. This is a small dental appliance that you would wear in your mouth to help prevent you from grinding your teeth. Bite guards do require special fittings and are nothing like the dental guards you can purchase over the counter at convenience stores. Since those guards cannot be truly custom fit to your teeth and your bite needs – they tend to rub against the inner cheek and gum, causing more damage than they prevent.
We can also surgically address any missing or misaligned teeth that may be causing or worsening your TMJ. Because each case is different, we will need to meet with and examine you before suggesting a course of treatment.