The temporomandibular joints, commonly known as TMJ, consist of the joints and muscles that allow you to open and close your jaw. These joints and muscles are on each side of your head and contain a disc between the ball and socket. The TMJ work together as a system to help you bite, chew, swallow, and speak. If anything happens to put a strain on that system, it can cause a painful TMJ disorder. Here’s how our expert team at Wave Dental Specialists can provide relief from jaw pain:
TMJ disorders can be caused by many issues, such as injury, arthritis, dislocation, tooth and jaw alignment problems, stress, and teeth clenching or grinding. Our team will perform a thorough dental examination to check the TMJ for pain, tenderness, clicking, popping, locking, or difficulty moving. Once we have assessed your condition, we can provide a tailored treatment recommendation to help you find relief.
Depending on your needs, we may prescribe an oral appliance. This can include a night guard, bite plate, or splint to reposition your teeth, prevent grinding, alleviate stress on the TMJ, or provide other benefits as determined by your case. We may also recommend or prescribe exercises to strengthen jaw muscles or relaxation techniques to control jaw tension as needed to help reduce your symptoms over time.
We may recommend surgical intervention if you experience severe or long-term pain, immobility, or disease in the jaw joint. Surgery may be performed on the TMJ to treat inflammation and reduce pressure or to operate directly on the joint to remove damaged tissue or reshape the bone as needed.
Our experts strive every day to provide comfortable, cutting-edge specialty dentistry that fits your smile, schedule, and budget.