Orthodontic TMJ Treatment

Advances in dentistry over the past several years have given individuals suffering from dental problems new opportunities to attain a healthy and beautiful smile. Orthodontists, well-known for correcting crooked teeth through the use of braces, appliances, or Invisalign, can also treat a very common and troublesome dental issue which is Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder, or TMJ.

What Is the Definition of TMJ?

TMJ is a disorder of the jaw joints which creates jaw and bite alignment malfunctions in individuals suffering from this dental disorder. The mandibular bone [the lower jaw] is designed to slide and rotate to provide for a range of motion when chewing and speaking. The causes of TMJ can range from grinding of the teeth, clenching of the jaw, highly stressful lifestyle, as well as age-related wearing down of the jaw bone and joint. Other factors are hypermobile ligaments, arthritic conditions, and cranial sacral distortions.

What Are Symptoms of TMJ?

Some physical symptoms of TMJ include extreme jaw pain and discomfort, headaches, facial pain, clicking of the jaw at the joints, limited jaw mobility, excessively worn out teeth, locking of the jaw, earaches, and ringing in the ears. Nerve pain and damage caused by the misalignment of the jaw may become permanent if left untreated. While most TMJ symptoms are merely mild to moderate in severity, certain symptoms such as the limiting of jaw mobility can create serious health problems such as the inability to chew food properly, which could lead to nutritional deficiencies.

The efficient chewing of food helps to break down the vitamins, minerals, and proteins that are necessary for optimum nutrition. TMJ may also create sleeping difficulties due to the substantial amount of pain in the jaw. Symptoms seem to worsen at night due to the inability of the muscles and joints to relax. Misalignment of the jaw may also complicate other sleep issues such as individuals suffering from sleep apnea.

TMJ Treatment Through Orthodontics

There are several treatment options available through orthodontics for TMJ. Treatment will depend upon many individual factors such as the overall health of the patient, medical history, tolerance of medications and mouth appliances, and the extent of the disorder. Some of the more common treatments of TMJ include resting the joints of the jaw, stress management techniques to reduce clenching of the jaw, pain medications, mouth exercises, heat, and cold compresses, and orthopedic appliances such as mouth guards to reduce the effects of tooth grinding. Once pain relief is achieved, orthodontic treatment can follow to help with long-term stability and function. Our doctors focus primarily on splint therapy as the preferred method of conservative treatment. That is, we create oral TMJ splints that unload the jaw joints thereby relieving the pain associated with overly compressed TM joints. We have found this treatment method to be very effective even in patients who have had TMJ splints made by other doctors without achieving relief. {Not all splints are alike}!

Orthodontic Consultation

If you are suffering from pain and discomfort with TMJ, please make an appointment for your free consultation at one of our 15 offices!