TMJ Dentist Serving Buckingham
When the TMJ, short for temporomandibular joint, is not aligned as it should be, stress is placed on the other muscles on joints in the TMJ, causing a TMJ disorder. In other words, pain is in your jaw joints and pain is coming from the muscles that control your jaw joint. This is the sort of dental procedure that calls for a dental procedure with a TMJ dentist serving Buckingham.
How Can You Tell if You Have a TMJ Disorder?
- When you wake up do you have stiff muscles or soar around your jaws?
- Are you clenching or grinding your teeth
- Do you frequently get neck aches or headaches?
- If you clench your teeth does the pain get worse?
- When you stress does your clenching and pain get worse?
- When you open your mouth can you feel and hear your jaw click, pop, grate, catch, or lock?
- When you open your mouth, eat or yawn Is it difficult or painful?
- Have you ever injured your neck, head, or jaws?
- Have you had problems with other joints such as arthritis?
- Do you have teeth that fail to touch when you bite?
- Do your teeth meet differently from time to time?
- Is it difficult to use your front teeth to tear and bite into food?
- Do you have sensitive teeth, worn, loose or broken?
The more times you thought “yes” to the above questions, the more likely it is that you have a disorder related to TMJ. Understanding TMJ problems will also help you understand how TMJ disorders can be treated.
What Are Some Treatments for TMJ?
There are numerous treatment options that can improve the balance and function of your jaw. When you schedule an appointment with a TMJ dentist serving Buckingham, the first step would be to provide a dental evaluation to confirm a TMJ disorder and a prescribed treatment plan. It is important to note that treatment always works best with a combined approach of self-care accompanied with professional dental care. The first goals are to stop the muscle spasm and relieve joint pain. This is usually treated with a pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, or muscle relaxant. Steroids can be injected directly into the joints to reduce pain and inflammation. Self-care treatments can often be effective as well and include:
- Relaxing your jaw by either doing jaw joint stretches or smallmouth opening exercises could help. More importantly, getting in touch with a dentist near Buckingham will help in deciding what specific jaw movement exercises to do.
- Keeping your teeth separated when you are not eating or swallowing eases off the pressure that comes when your teeth are clenched together due to jaw joint pains. An issue as this calls for an immediate TMJ treatment serving {buck_co(city_name)}
- Eating foods that are soft. A soft diet will help with easing the pain away and help relieve the TMJ joints from aching when you open your mouth.
- Utilizing ice and heat. Ice will help you in reducing swelling and pain. The heat will also relax your muscles and increase blood flow. Applying ice and heat pads for 10 to 20 minutes will make your muscles more relaxed.
- Ensuring proper posture by placing your head directly over your shoulders will ensure that your jaw can open and close fully without interruptions. Scheduling a TMJ treatment serving Buckingham will determine if your posture is not the best it could be, which could be why you are experiencing TMJ pain. When the head is not in alignment with the spine, the chin moves forward and takes the jaw joint away from how it ought to be aligned.
TMJ Treatment in Buckingham, Montgomeryville, Doylestown, Warrington, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, Lansdale, Horsham, and Surrounding Areas.
Various techniques used for stress management such as biofeedback or physical therapy may also be recommended, as well as a nightguard. A night guard fits over your top or bottom teeth and helps keep your teeth separated, essentially relaxing the muscles and reducing pain. There are different types of appliances used for different purposes. A nightguard helps you eliminate grinding or clenching your teeth and minimizes muscle tension at night and helps to protect the cartilage and joint surfaces. An anterior positioning appliance moves your jaw forward, alleviates pressure on parts of your jaw, and helps in disk repositioning. It may be worn 24 hours/day to help your jaw heal. An orthotic stabilization appliance is worn 24 hours or just at night to move your jaw into the proper position. Appliances also help to protect from tooth wear.
What About Bite Correction Surgery?
If you are diagnosed with a TMJ disorder that causes issues with how your teeth fit together, recommended treatment might include bite adjustment (equilibration), orthodontics with or without jaw reconstruction or restorative dentistry, and above all, scheduling an appointment with a TMJ dentist near Buckingham. Other options such as surgery, arthroscopy, or open joint restructuring are reserved for very severe cases. Highpoint Dental Medicine considers TMJ surgery only when the jaw does not open, is dislocated, has severe degeneration, or the patient has undergone appliance treatment unsuccessfully
What you can expect from us:
- A high degree of professional skill and ability.
- Dedication to your oral health care.
- Proper preventive care that minimizes costly reconstructive work.
- Extra effort to make your visits as comfortable as possible.
- The right treatment at the right time. Fees that are fair and just for the services provided.
Our Philosophy
We believe that open communication between patient, doctor and staff builds a solid foundation for quality care and service. We encourage you to become proactively involved in your treatment and look forward to answering any questions you may have. Please contact our office any time you have a question regarding your dental care.
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