IT’S NOT IN YOUR HEAD— IT’S IN YOUR JAW.
TMJ disorders cause pain RANGING FROM disabling, with severe symptoms far more common in women.
THE GRIND NEVER STOPS— THE RISE OF TMJ
RISING STRESS LEVELS ARE LEADING TO A SURGE IN TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDERS (TMJ)— OR BRUXISM. WHAT MAKES IT SO DANGEROUS? IT’S DIFFICULTY TO DETECT.
WHAT IS TMJ DISORDER?
THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) IS THE HINGE THAT LETS YOU TALK, CHEW AND YAWN. TMJ DISORDER—BRUXISM— OCCURS WHEN THAT JOINT BECOMES INFLAMED OR MISALIGNED, OFTEN DUE TO GRINDING, CLENCHING, INJURY STRESS OR BITE IMBALANCES.
MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW— UNTIL ITS TOO LATE
DISCOMFORT ISN’T NORMAL— IT’S JUST BEEN NORMALIZED. MOST PATIENTS DON’T KNOW THEY HAVE A TMJ DISORDER UNTIL IT’S ADVANCED— AND MORE DIFFICULT TO TREAT.
EARLY DETECTION IS CRUCIAL IN PREVENTING IRREPARABLE DAMAGE
OUR DENTISTS ARE TRAINED IN EARLY DETECTION OF TMJ DYSFUNCTION AND BRUXISM— EVEN IF YOU DON’T EXPERIENCE ANY OF THE TYPICAL SYMPTOMS, YOU MAY STILL BE GRINDING OR CLENCHING AT NIGHT— AND NOT KNOW IT.
SYMPTOMS OF TMJ DISORDER
— JAW OR FACIAL PAIN & TENSION
— WORN, SENSITIVE, CRACKED, OR EVEN BROKEN TEETH
— LIMITED JAW MOVEMENT
— SLEEPLESS NIGHTS & DAYTIME EXHAUSTION
— HEADACHES, EARACHES OR MIGRAINES
— CLICKING, POPPING OR LOCKING OF THE JAW
— NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN OR TENSION
— DIFFICULTY OR PAIN WHEN CHEWING
— TINNITUS (RINGING IN THE EARS)
— SINUS PAIN
— FACIAL & TEMPLE SWELLING
TARGETTED TREATMENT AGAINST TMJ DISORDERS
WE START WITH A FULL BITE AND JAW ASSESSMENT, AND FROM THERE WE MAY RECOMMEND:
— INVISALIGN TO CORRECT JAW ALIGNMENT OR CROSS BITE
— CUSTOM NIGHT GUARDS OR SNORE GUARDS
— BOTOX THERAPY TO RELAX OVERACTIVE JAW MUSCLES
— STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS AND HOME CARE SUPPORT
— SLEEP HYGIENGE AND SCHEDULING
— OTHER ADJUSTMENTS TO ORAL HEALTH PRACTICES
DON’T GRIN AND BEAR IT— CHECK AND TREAT IT.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSES OF TMJ DISORDER?
— PHYSICAL: INJURY TO THE JAW OR FACE, ARTHRITIS, JOINT DEGENERATION, INFLAMMATION
— BEHAVIORAL: TEETH GRINDING (BRUXISM) JAW CLENCHING, POOR POSTURE, ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON JOINTS
— PYSCHOLOGICAL: STRESS, ANXIETY, ANGER, DEPRESSION RELATED CAUSING MUSCLE, JAW AND NECK TENSION, EXACERBATING SYMPTOMS
— SLEEP: SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND DISORDERS, OBSTRUCTED SLEEP-APNEA
— ANATOMICAL VARIATIONS: DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS OF THE JOIN AND MISALIGNMENTS OF THE BITE, GENETICS AND HEREDITARY CONDITIONS
— ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: RECREATIONAL DRUG USE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
TMJ & SLEEP APNEA
SLEEP APNEA AND TMJ DISORDERS ARE INTERCONNECTED WITH BOTH WORSENING THE OTHER. SLEEP APNEA IS THE DISRUPTION OF BREATHING DURING SLEEP, WHICH CAN LEAD TO JAW CLENCHING AND GRINDING (BRUXISM) EXACERBATING TMJ PAIN. CONVERSLY, TMJ ISSUES CONTRIBUTES TO SLEEP APNEA BY IMPACTING JAW POSITION AND OBSTRUCTING THE AIRWAY. WE WILL ASSESS YOU FOR BOTH SLEEP APNEA AND TMJ, AND IF NECESSARY, CUSTOMIZE TWO-PRONGED, TARGETTED PLAN TO TREAT BOTH CONDITIONS.
THE DANGERS OF UNTREATED TMJ DISORDER— DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE
IF YOU WAKE UP WITH JAW PAIN, HEADACHES OR NOTICE CLICKING, POPPING OR CLENCHING— OR EVEN DIFFICULTY CHEWING— YOU MAY BE DEALING WITH A TMJ DYSFUNCTION.
THE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT (TMJ) CONNECTS YOUR JAW TO YOUR SKULL AND WHEN IT’S OUT OF ALIGNMENT, IT CAN AFFECT EVERYTHING FROM EATING, TO YAWNING, TO TALKING, TO SLEEPING TO YOUR POSTURE AND MOOD— HOWEVER, WHEN LEFT UNTREATED, THE DAMAGE CAN BE IRREPARABLE.
DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE
ALSO KNOWN AS OSTEOARTHRITIS IS A COMMON CONDITION AFFECTING TMJ WHERE THE CARTILAGE AND BONE DETERIORATES AMPLIFYING THE PAIN AND IMPAIRED JAW FUNCTION AND CAN LEAD TO INTERNAL DERANGEMENT OF THE JOINT, MEANING A DISLOCATED JAW OR DISPLACED DISK.
BOOK A TMJ ASSESSMENT AND FIND OUT WHAT YOUR BODY HAS BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU— WHILE IT’S STILL EASY TO TREAT.
WHY IT MATTERS
TMJ ISN’T “JUST TENSION” IT’S A SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUE THAT WITH IRREVERSIBLE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES IF LEFT UNTREATED. YOUR COMFORT MATTERS—AND SO DOES YOUR ABILITY TO SPEAK, EAT, SLEEP, BREATH UNOBSTRUCTED AND LIVE WITHOUT PAIN.
BOOK TODAY TO STOP THE CYCLE OF PAIN
OUR DENTISTS WILL IDENTIFY AND DIAGNOSE ANY DISORDERS AND CUSTOMIZE TREATMENTS TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE RELIEF, SPECIFIC TO YOUR NEEDS.
CALL US TODAY FOR AN ASSESSMENT OR BOOK AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE.