When you experience headaches on a regular basis, or suffer from pain in your jaw and face, then you may have a common oral health issue that needs attention. TMJ disorder, also known as TMD, could upset how you open and close your mouth, and lead to discomfort and even complications like bruxism (teeth grinding). In today’s blog, Sunny Smiles talks about stopping headaches with TMJ therapy.
The Factors Behind TMJ Disorder
TMJ disorder is often brought on by complications with the balance of your bite, which then leads to strain on our jaw joints. Examples include tooth loss, misalignment, injury to the jaw or face, or issues with the growth of the jaw or the arrival of your teeth. Untreated bruxism (teeth grinding) could also lead to TMD symptoms. Understanding the cause of your discomfort is crucial for choosing the best treatment option. Our team will carefully examine your smile with advanced digital technology, so we can make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy, and choose the best treatment option.
Headaches and Other Symptoms
How do you know if you have TMD? What symptoms should you be aware of? For many, this could cause a popping or crackling sensation in the smile, headaches and migraines, or jaw and facial pain. Aches in the back and shoulders could occur as well. The pressure could also lead to bruxism, so tooth sensitivity and toothaches are common too due to damaged teeth. Treatment helps alleviate these symptoms, and also prevents complications opening and closing your mouth fully. But what treatment options will we offer for TMJ disorder?
Treatment with an Oral Appliance
The treatment options we prescribe will vary. For some patients, our team could provide orthodontics to correct misalignment and ease the stress on the bite. Likewise, missing teeth could be addressed with prosthetics, like dental bridges or even dental implants. For those with an imbalanced bite, we could alter the shape of the teeth with crowns or even bonding or contouring to improve overall balance in the jaw joint strain.
We also offer oral appliance therapy, which uses a device that is custom-made for your smile and fits like a mouthguard. When worn, the device will reposition the jaw to ease stress and prevent painful symptoms. If you also grind your teeth, this device puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage.
SPEAK WITH YOUR DENTIST AT SUNNY SMILES ABOUT TMD
We want to help you smile with confidence and avoid chronic discomfort. To find out more about how our team treats the imbalance in your smile, then please contact our Sunny Smiles location on N Zaragoza Rd in El Paso, TX at (915) 849-9000.