TMJ disorder, also known as TMD, impacts millions of smiles in the USA and could lead to trouble fully opening and closing your mouth. To avoid complications with eating, and to prevent major discomfort, we can correct this issue with oral appliance therapy. In today’s blog, your Garland, TX, dentist talks about treating TMJ disorder.
The Causes of TMJ Pain
TMJ disorder develops when the temporomandibular joints, the ones that connect your jaw and skull undergo excessive strain. This pressure then causes painful symptoms and could even lead to complications fully opening and closing your mouth. The factors behind it could include injury to the face or jaw, complications with the growth of your jaw, misalignment, tooth loss, and untreated teeth grinding. Warning signs could include headaches, migraines, jaw pain, and aches in the face, neck, and shoulders. A popping or clicking sensation in the jaw is often experienced as well. When you encounter one or more of these common symptoms, then contact our team today to learn more.
Treating TMD
We will first carefully examine your smile, taking note of wear and friction on the teeth, common TMD factors, and the balance of your bite and position of your jaw. To complete this exam, we use digital imaging technology for precision and accuracy. For some, we could recommend orthodontics to correct the alignment of the teeth. A prosthetic could replace missing teeth, and a crown or contouring procedure could help improve overall balance. But for most, we will provide relief with an oral appliance. Crafted based on digital images we take of your smile, this device will look and fit like a mouthguard. You wear it at night, and the device repositions the jaw to ease strain and imbalance. You then avoid symptoms!
What About Bruxism?
Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, could develop due to untreated TMJ disorder, or could be a factor in the onset of TMJ disorder. This requires treatment as grinding and clenching could damage your smile and cause tooth decay and infection. For relief, we could also recommend an oral appliance. This helps correct the strain behind your bruxism, but also puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth. This barrier prevents further damage and helps safeguard your smile. We could also require any damage with bonding or the placement of a crown. If you have any questions, then contact our team today.
Do You Have Questions About TMD?
We would love to help you avoid the impacts of jaw joint strain. To learn more about how we restore bite balance, then please schedule a consultation today by contacting Mai Dentistry in Garland, TX at (972)-530-0552. You can also find our practice at 6850 N Shiloh Rd, Suite C Garland, TX 75044.
