Treating TMJ Treatment With Oral Appliance
When you have TMJ disorder, this strain on your jaw joints could mean painful symptoms, including headaches and even a popping or clicking sensation in the jaw. To offer relief and prevent worsening symptoms, you need an oral appliance. In today’s blog, your Cleveland, TX, dentist talks about TMJ treatment.
What Is TMJ Disorder?
TMJ disorder means that the temporomandibular joints, which connect the head and skull, have undergone excess strain and stress. This impact could even lead to problems fully opening and closing the mouth! The factors could include issues that alter bite balance and strain the joints, such as malocclusion, tooth loss, injury to the face or jaw, untreated bruxism (teeth grinding), or even complications with the growth of the jawbone. This disorder impacts millions of people, and could lead to serious complications!
Headaches and Other Warning Signs
People with the disorder may report a wide array of symptoms, such as headaches and migraines, jaw and ear pain, neck and shoulder aches, and a popping or cracking in the jaw. If you also grind your teeth, toothaches and tooth sensitivity could develop as well, increasing the risk of tooth decay and infection. When you experience one or more of these potential symptoms, we urge you to give us a call. Our team will carefully examine the teeth and oral structures with advanced digital x-rays and intraoral camera technology, so we can make a diagnosis with accuracy and precision, and choose the most appropriate treatment option.
Creating an Oral Appliance
For some, we could bring relief with orthodontics, correcting misalignment to ease jaw joint strain. We could also improve balance with the placement of a crew or possibly dental bonding or contouring. For missing teeth, we could discuss bridges, dentures, or implant dentistry. But the most common solution is an oral appliance.
The device is crafted based on detailed digital images we gather of your smile. We combine these to create a 3D model, and in a dental lab we design and craft the finished product. The appliance will be worn like a mouthguard as you rest, and will gently reposition the jaw to ease strain and bring relief from painful symptoms. If you grind your teeth too, this can put a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage. If you have any questions, give our team a call today!
Ready to Restore Bite Balance?
Our team wants to help you avoid headaches and jaw pain with TMD treatment. If you have any questions about addressing strained jaw joints, or if you would like to schedule a consultation today, please contact Cleveland Family Dentistry in Cleveland, TX, at (281) 592-1234. You can also find our practice at 205 E. Houston St. Cleveland, TX 77327.