TMJ Treatments: Non-Surgical Solutions for Your Consideration

We can provide you with non-surgical TMJ treatments that will eliminate or reduce any jaw pain that you are experiencing.  TMJ is a common condition that is often misdiagnosed.  It can manifest itself as discomfort or pain in your jaw, face, and neck.  It can also give you persistent headaches or make it uncomfortable to eat.  Some people experience stabbing pain while others have persistent soreness or overall discomfort.  Since the symptoms vary, people often associate the headaches with tense shoulders and the need for a massage or a sore jaw as sleeping in the wrong position.  Most commonly, people take pain medication for relief – sometimes daily.  If you have suffered from any of these symptoms, there is a solution that is far more effective than simply taking ibuprofen.  

At our dental office, we know how uncomfortable TMJ can be; and while it often starts with more subtle symptoms like a headache and sore jaw, it can worsen with time.  There are patients that report slowly being unable to open their jaw very wide and then one morning waking up with lockjaw.  This can be incredibly frightening and at the very least alarming.  Being unable to open the jaw all the way catches many people by surprise.  Fortunately, the jaw tends to loosen up throughout the day, especially if you apply gentle heat.  Our goal, however, is to diagnose the problem long before it ever reaches this stage.  Most of the time, there is no reason to let TMJ progress since the symptoms build gradually.  All you need to do is call us so that we can treat the condition in the early stages before you ever suffer significant discomfort.

Our TMJ treatments are non-invasive and non-surgical.  For this reason, we recommend that you visit us before considering other more intense options.  Some doctors recommend jaw surgery to treat TMJ.  The problem with this is twofold: it has not been proven to be very effective and it can lead to worsening symptoms.  Since surgery is irreversible, if it does not work, you are stuck with the unfortunate side effects and symptoms.  Instead, trying a non-invasive solution is a superior option in that you have nothing to lose.  If it works like we believe it will – you will experience direct health benefits.  If your symptoms are relieved but not eliminated, you can  combine our solution with other steps like changing your diet or using gentle massage on a daily basis.

What are your TMJ treatments?

First, we will examine you and discuss your symptoms.  Very often TMJ is caused by nighttime grinding or clenching that puts pressure on your temporomandibular joint.  This may manifest as wear on your teeth that can be identified during an examination.  Regardless, we can provide you with a guard to wear at night.  This removable oral appliance will be created using an impression of your mouth and measurements that we take.  The lab will then create the appliance to be a perfect fit so that you can wear it comfortably at night and prevent your upper and lower teeth from touching in the process. This simple step can relieve any pressure on your joint so that you can wake up without feeling sore and without a persistent headache.  The results are impactful even though the solution is fairly simplistic.