Over the years, protecting your smile can take additional effort due to certain conditions that can develop. By maintaining a healthy relationship with your dentist, you can often identify active threats and receive treatment before they get out of hand. While cleanings and exams help prevent cavities and gum disease from plaque and tartar deposits, sometimes more complex oral disorders can occur. A gum infection can destabilize teeth and lead to significant dental loss for example. But what can you do to identify conditions that take hold while you are asleep? If you wake in the morning with a consistent ache through your jaw, head, and shoulder muscles, you may suffer from a condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD. Without treatment, TMD can lead to difficulty properly articulating your jaw open and shut. This problem is associated with a bad bite, leading to accelerated wear and tear on your teeth’s surfaces and an increased risk for decay and infection. After helping get your TMD under control, we could help you explore functional and cosmetic treatments to restore your smile’s appearance.
At Sunny Smiles Family Dentistry, we provide a nonsurgical treatment for TMD through the use of oral appliance therapy. By taking custom measurements of your teeth and surrounding oral structures, we create a mouthguard that fits neatly on each row of teeth. By wearing your guard before bed, you gently slide your jaw into a more comfortable position, relieving tension on the joints of your jaw. Because your teeth are covered, this treatment also stops any grinding damage associated with your disorder.
When TMD Prevents You From Living A Fulfilled Life
By placing significant strain on the joints of your jaw, TMJ disorder causes significant disruptions to your enjoyment of everyday life. Your inability to fully open and close your jaw means difficulty speaking or enjoying basic food and drink. While the associated causes of TMD are various, the alignment of your teeth and jaw is the primary contributor. In addition to providing oral appliance therapy, we may suggest placing dental crowns or composite resin to realign your smile into a more comfortable position.
Receive Your TMD Diagnosis
If you have pain in your jaw each day, do not wait to receive treatment! Contact our office and we will perform a full evaluation of your mouth and jaw to determine if you would benefit from oral appliance therapy. When you know the source of your pain, you feel empowered to pursue relief!
TALK TO YOUR DENTIST AT SUNNY SMILES ABOUT TMJ DISORDER
Oral appliance therapy realigns the position of your jaw to more comfortably articulate its joints. To find out more about how our team treats your TMDn please contact our Sunny Smiles location on N Zaragoza Rd in El Paso, TX at (915) 849-9000.