TMJ pain is an unwelcome visitor in your life. The pain can be so bad that it disrupts your life for days, months, or even years until you find relief. Whether you suffer from chronic or acute TMJ pain, you don’t deserve a life of discomfort. At Summit Dental of La Mesa, Dr. Richard Evans and the team offer numerous treatment options to help you overcome the unpleasant symptoms of TMJ dysfunction. 

All about TMJ pain

The temporomandibular joint, in short TMJ, is a hinge-like joint that links the skull to the lower jaw on either side of your face. The TMJ is a flexible joint that helps your jaws move sideways, up, and down to help you laugh, talk, and eat without struggling. 

Unfortunately, when your TMJ is misaligned, injured, or infected, you may experience numerous undesirable symptoms like: 

• Frequent headaches and migraines 
• Facial pain 
• Tender or painful jaw muscles 
• Jaw pain 
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) 
• Neck pain 
• Trouble opening your jaws (locked jaws) 
• Clicking or popping sounds when using your jaws 

Problems with your TMJ can result from several factors, including a bad bite, bruxism, stress, injury, arthritis and infection. Since the causes of TMJ are many and varied, you need the help of a TMJ dentist to help with diagnosis and treatment. 

Treating TMJ disorders with a custom oral appliance

TMJ pain has troubled many patients for years, and most are skeptical when they hear that a dentist can resolve the problem without surgery. The reality is that most TMJ disorders can be treated without surgery or relegating you to dependence on pain medication. Once we establish the cause of your TMJ disorder, we can recommend a customized appliance. Some possible oral appliances are a nightguard, a TMD splint or a sleep appliance.

Appliances are created after scanning your teeth for digital models. We will also scan the relationship between your upper and lower jaws. These models are very accurate, so these appliances will fit very well.

But how does it work? An oral appliance can distribute biting forces more evenly to all your teeth. It can prevent microtraumas within the joints when you clench or grind your teeth (Bruxism). It can enable a more ideal positioning of the ball of the joint within the socket.  This can help with muscle pain and joint inflammation. And finally, an oral appliance can help you sleep better which enables your body to repair itself.  Stage 3 or deep sleep is where your body repairs itself. REM Sleep (Dreaming) helps your brain repair itself.

Other treatments to relieve TMJ pain

Depending on the cause of your TMJ pain, we may recommend some of the following treatments: 

• Physical Therapy: Certain therapeutic modalities can help with the acute pain phase
• Medication: We may recommend anti-inflammatory medication to manage inflammation if arthritis is the cause of your TMJ pain. 
• Injections: These could be diagnostic, unlocking a joint or Botox to help overworked muscles
• Stress management: Exercises can keep your stress levels in control to avoid tooth clenching and grinding.  By learning stress reduction protocols, it can help to handle life’s stressors.
• Orthodontics: A bad bite or crooked teeth can cause your TMJ to overwork. Teeth straightening services correct your bite to optimize your dental health. 

Suspect you have TMJ dysfunction? We want you to find relief to live your life to the fullest. If you are in the La Mesa, CA area, please dial (619) 494-2492 to schedule an appointment with Summit Dental of La Mesa for TMJ pain diagnosis and treatment. 

Share this Article