TMJ Therapy
TMJ Therapy Options
Heidi Sprowls DDS always recommends starting with the least invasive treatment method. We recommend you start with gently massaging your jaw muscles a couple of times per day. We can show you how to do so without irritating the area or causing a flair up. You may also want to analyze your diet to determine if any particular foods may be too difficult to chew, thereby making the problem worse. Heidi Sprowls DDS often finds that patients are increasing their jaw problems by regularly eating foods like tough meat and nuts that require more forceful chewing, placing stress on the muscles and jaw. By switching to soft foods or ones that are easily pulled apart, you may start to feel better immediately.
Through our TMJ therapy, we provide a non-invasive solution for helping patients to feel better. Since TMJ is often caused by teeth grinding or clenching, preventing the upper and lower teeth from touching is a fast way to experience relief. In our office, we can make an impression of your teeth and use it to create a custom night guard for you to wear while sleeping. The night guard is made of a clear and comfortable plastic that surrounds your upper and lower teeth, similar to how a full retainer would function.
Symptoms of TMJ
TMJ disorder will often manifest itself in ways that appear to be unrelated to the jaw. This may include severe headaches or ear, neck, and face pain. Other more obvious symptoms include difficulty chewing or biting down, a popping or clicking sound when opening and closing the jaw, and jaw pain.
Causes of TMJ
The most common causes of TMJ disorder is clenching or grinding teeth at night. During times of high-stress, many people fail to have a restful nights sleep and reduce stress by inadvertently clenching their jaw closed or grinding down their teeth while sleeping. This can manifest very early in life, with children even being impacted by teeth grinding. When this takes place, the muscles and joints are forced to remain in a tense position, leading to pain in the joints and muscles the following morning. If this happens only occasionally, you may have a minor headache and feel better the next day. If, however, this is occurring on a nightly basis, TMJ symptoms can begin to manifest and you will begin to feel less and less comfortable. You may want to pay particular attention to whether or not you have a headache or jaw pain after having a stressful day at work or being upset about something.
Don’t hesitate to let our team know if you suspect you are suffering from TMJ disorder. We can help you!