As we age, protecting our smile from wear and tear becomes more and more important. What steps can you take to preserve as much healthy material as possible? By brushing and flossing your teeth each day, you prevent the accumulation of harmful dental plaque that occurs from the combination of oral bacteria and food debris. When you attend regular checkups and exams, we help remove deposits you cannot remove on your own. This also helps protect your smile from the ravaging effects of gum disease, the number one cause of tooth loss among adults. But what if a certain threat strikes while you are sleeping? If you wake each morning with pain in muscles near your jaw, you may have a condition known as TMD or temporomandibular joint disorder. With no treatment, TMD makes opening and closing your jaw rather difficult. You may experience excruciating pain as well. Because TMD is associated with bruxism, or constant grinding of the teeth, treating your condition can help preserve your smile. Fortunately, we can provide a non-surgical intervention with the creation of a custom oral mouthguard.
At Sunny Smiles Family Dentistry, we know that successful treatment for TMJ disorder can greatly improve your quality of life. When are more fully able to articulate your jaw’s range of motion, you wake feeling more refreshed. Wearing a custom mouthguard at night can free you up to more easily enjoy meals and speak as well.
How TMD Affects Your Everyday Life
When problems that affect your dentition lead to serious misalignment, your jaw may strain as you attempt to compensate and complete your bite. Because we must articulate our jaw thousands of times per day, the repetitive strain of this unnatural stress can wear away at the jaw’s joint. Over time this leads to temporomandibular joint disorder that prevents you from being able to fully open and close your mouth. While TMD has a variety of causes, problems with the alignment of your bite are a primary contributor. If your smile becomes damaged, we can help build up the height of an injured tooth with a dental crown or the use of composite resin bonding.
Obtaining A TMD Diagnosis
If you have constant pains throughout your jaw, neck, head, shoulders, or back, give us a call to inspect your jaw. These symptoms may indicate chronic stress upon the joint of your jawbone. If the pain associated with problems articulating your bite, you may have TMD. When given a diagnosis, we can help you navigate treatment to restore the comfort of your bite.
TALK TO YOUR DENTIST AT SUNNY SMILES ABOUT TMJ DISORDER
Oral appliance therapy can help you get your jaw pain under control. 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.