A crooked bite can be the source of a great deal of pain. What does TMJ stand for, and how can TMJ dentistry help relieve your pain? Read on to learn more.
What Is TMJ?
TMJ is short for temporomandibular joint. This is the joint that is used when we speak and chew. TMJ disorders are a broad range of conditions that affect a person’s ability to open and close their mouth. While many problems can contribute to TMJ disorder, one of the most common is a crooked bite.
What Are the Symptoms of TMJ?
When a person is experiencing a TMJ disorder, many symptoms occur. These include:
– Sound when chewing or speaking
– Pain
– Popping
– Clicking
– Grinding
– The joint itself
– Surrounding face muscles
– Neck
– Difficulty chewing
– Jaw fatigue
– Loss of range of jaw motion
– Grinding teeth
As the condition progresses, other symptoms can appear. For example, grinding may wear teeth unnaturally and result in damage to the teeth. Other long-term TMJ disorder symptoms may be vertigo, tinnitus, ear pain, light sensitivity, and back pain. It is, therefore, important to have a TMJ disorder checked out by a professional, even if you feel you can live with it.
How Can TMJ Dentistry Help Me?
TMJ disorder treatment begins with a thorough examination to determine the cause of the problem. Again, this often goes back to an abnormality in a person’s bite. Because of this, the primary treatment involves correcting the issue with a person’s bite.
Depending on the degree of a person’s TMJ disorder, several forms of treatment may be recommended:
Mouth Guard (or dental splint) – Because a person with TMJ may grind their teeth, a custom fit mouth guard can protect the teeth from unusual wear. While this does not correct the underlying issue, it is an inexpensive way to prevent further damage to the mouth.
Orthodontics – Sometimes, misaligned teeth can cause a person’s bite to be off. If this is the case, orthodontics may be able to correct the issue.
Bite Correction Appliances – In some cases, a person’s bite can be realigned without orthodontics. Specially fit appliances decompress the joint by forcing a person to bite correctly and keeping the tongue properly positioned. Such a device is worn overnight and at times during the day and is used long-term until the pain stops.
TMJ Arthroscopy – In certain situations, a dentist may deem it necessary to perform a minimally-invasive procedure to correct the alignment of the patient’s jaw. It is an outpatient procedure with about a week of recovery time.
Pain Relief – If a patient is in severe pain, NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, may be prescribed to reduce swelling while the condition is being treated.
