When you suffer from chronic headaches and pain in your jaw, this could be due to an issue known as TMJ disorder, or TMD. Over time, the symptoms could grow in severity as your oral health and bite function suffer. But your Garland, TX, dentist can offer relief with a comfortable and custom-made mouthguard.
The Warning Signs of TMD
The temporomandibular joints connect our jaw and skull, and they control the movements necessary to eat and speak. Which means when they become strained and develop TMJ disorder, this could cause a host of uncomfortable symptoms. People may report a crackling or popping sensation in the jaw, headaches and migraines, jaw and facial pain, and even aches in the neck and shoulders. When you have persistent pain like this, don’t ignore these periodontal symptoms. Instead, contact our team right away for a diagnosis. We can carefully examine your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras, so we can make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy, and start your path to treatment.
The Causes and Dangers
The imbalance in your bite could be caused by misalignment, tooth loss, injury to the face or jaw, or complications with the growth and development of the jaw and certain oral structures. Without treatment, the symptoms grow worse and you could even develop related complications, such as teeth grinding. Chronic teeth grinding then damages structures to increase the risk of tooth decay and infection. Fortunately, our team can offer treatment for TMJ disorder to ease these painful symptoms and prevent worsening complications.
Relief with a Custom Mouthguard
For some, we could use orthodontics to treat misalignment, or bonding and crowns to improve overall bite balance or repair damaged teeth. We could also replace missing teeth with a prosthetic, such as a bridge or even a dental implant. But in many cases, we offer a custom and noninvasive oral appliance. The device will be crafted based on detailed images and impressions we take of your smile with digital technology. The device is custom-fitted for your smile and will look and fit like a mouthguard. When in place, this repositions the jaw to ease strain and prevent symptoms. If you grind your teeth, this also places a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage.
If you have any questions about how we treat oral health issues like these, then contact our team today to discuss TMJ treatment.
Speak With Your Garland, TX Dentist About Improving Your Bite Balance
Our team is ready to address the source of your headaches and facial pain, and offer relief. For more information on the causes and solutions for TMD, please reach out to Mai Dentistry in Garland, TX today at (972) 530-0552.
