Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder causes neck, jaw, head, and shoulder pain when the soft joint that lays between your skull and lower jaw gets inflamed. It is also often accompanied by a clicking or popping sound in your jaw, as well as a reduced range of motion, pain, and discomfort when you try to open and close your mouth.
TMJ Treatment Near You
Your dentist can screen, identify, and help to treat TMJ Disorder.
We screen for TMJ disorder by asking you three TMJ-related questions during regular checkups. First, are you aware of any habit of grinding your teeth? Second, have you noticed any clicking or popping sound in your jaw? Finally, do you experience any range of motion limitations when opening or closing your jaw? Screening enables the early identification of problems before they become serious.
Some patients with TMJ disorder also present symptoms of sleep bruxism, a condition in which you clench your teeth while sleeping. Sleep bruxism causes dental-related symptoms and non-tooth-related symptoms that overlap considerably with TMJ disorder.
Those teeth-related symptoms include painful and sensitive teeth, loose and chipped teeth, worn-down tooth enamel, damaged dental work, and flattened teeth. You may also experience headaches that feel a lot like earaches. Patients also describe fatigue and difficulty fully opening their jaws.
Stages of TMJ Disorder Treatment
There are two stages of receiving TMJ treatment in NE Calgary. The first stage involves a customized mouth guard and re-shaping your teeth. Your dentist will fit you with a custom-moulded mouth guard to impose a physical barrier between your teeth to prevent you from grinding them together as you clench your jaw.
The second stage of TMJ treatment, which begins after you have worn the mouth guard while sleeping, is to reshape the biting surfaces of your teeth, including where and how they meet. The combination of wearing a mouth guard and the reshaping of your teeth may resolve your TMJ disorder symptoms. If not, your dentist may recommend orthodontics to reposition your teeth or surgery to adjust your jaw.
Key Points About TMJ Treatment
- You should not use a mouth guard purchased over the counter or online to treat TMJ disorders, sleep bruxism, or obstructive sleep apnea. The first stage of TMJ treatment is a custom-formed rigid mouth guard from your dentist.
- Always tell your dentist about any symptoms affecting your sleep, neck, jaw, face, and head.
Please contact our clinic if you’re looking to receive TMJ treatment in NE Calgary.