TMJ Therapy
Do you suffer from frequent jaw pain? Or do you tend to wake up with a headache? These are a couple of signs associated with conditions known as temporomandibular joint dysfunctions (TMJ or TMD). Symptoms of TMJ can cause ongoing discomfort that affects your everyday life. But our dentist provides TMJ therapy, allowing you to enjoy relief from soreness, headaches, and other symptoms.
What Is TMJ?
These disorders are conditions that occur when you have problems with one or both joints that connect your jaw to your skull. You have one joint on each side. Problems with TMJ can affect the jaw, chewing muscles, or both.
What Are Common TMJ Symptoms?
TMJ disorders can cause a range of symptoms that lead to daily discomfort, such as the following:
- Sore jaw
- Pain in your face, neck, or shoulder
- Trouble opening and shutting your mouth
- Clicking or other sounds when you open and close your mouth
- Frequent headaches or migraines
- Toothaches from clenching your teeth
- Changes in tooth alignment
- Jaw stiffness
You can also have other symptoms with this disorder, such as ringing in your ears or earaches. Symptoms might become chronic or get worse when you don’t get treatment. Certain activities can also worsen soreness and other symptoms, such as chewing on non-food objects. If you chew on ice, pens, or similar items, this puts more pressure on your jaw joints.
What Causes TMJ?
A specific cause of this disorder is tough to find. It’s usually associated with different factors that affect your jaw joint or the muscles you use to chew.
Some of the possible factors that may contribute to TMJ disorders include the following:
- Chronic stress
- Injuries to your jaw
- Clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth
- Medical conditions that affect joints, such as arthritis
When to Seek Help for TMJ?
Are you experiencing symptoms of this condition? If so, it’s time to look into treatment options. TMJ disorders are more than a nuisance — they can lead to other problems with your teeth and jaws. You might develop excess wear and tear from grinding or clenching your teeth, making it harder to chew.
Leaving TMJ dysfunction untreated also means dealing with pain from day to day. Jaw soreness, headaches, and other symptoms can interfere with your daily life, affecting your ability to function.
What TMJ Treatments Are Available?
Several options are used to ease TMJ disorder symptoms and keep them from getting worse or leading to other issues.
Some of these include:
- Medication
- Mouth guards
- Lifestyle changes
- Surgery if other options aren’t effective
Our dentist can evaluate your jaw and teeth to determine the right way to manage this disorder. It depends in large part on what’s causing it.
What can you expect from TMJ Therapy?
This can vary based on the underlying cause of TMJ symptoms. We might recommend wearing a mouth guard while sleeping if you grind your teeth, for example. Or we may recommend certain medications to help ease pain. We can also give you tips on changing daily behaviors to prevent symptoms, such as managing stress and avoiding chewing on non-food items.
Visit Us for TMJ Therapy!
Are you trying to find ways to reduce or manage symptoms? Our dental team is here to help! We offer TMJ therapy in Gainesville, GA, to ease symptoms of this condition and prevent it from becoming worse. Our treatment approach can help you enjoy relief!
