Do you notice your jaw pops or clicks? Is chewing painful or uncomfortable? Does your jaw ache? Do you suffer from frequent headaches or migraines? If any of these symptoms are occurring, you could be experiencing TMD.
What Causes TMD?
Tight muscles in your mouth and jaw can cause headaches and general facial pain. These problems with your jaw can also affect chewing and biting. If your muscles are tight, your joints are inflamed, or if you grind or clench your teeth, you may suffer from TMD. Whiplash, arthritis, or a misaligned bite can also cause TMD.
How Is TMD Treated?
Oral Appliances
At Svans Dentistry we offer a variety of methods to treat your TMD. The first method we suggest is using a mouth guard or oral appliance. This is a mouth piece that we create and customize for you. You’ll wear it while you sleep and it will help you to keep your airway open and unobstructed. It does this by holding the jaw and tongue in a more forward position.
Therapy
Another group of methods we use will adjust your jaw and the way it functions, thus limiting the amount of stress that’s put on it. We might suggest a number of different therapies that are relatively simple and non-invasive. We teach our patients stretching exercises, use heat or cold packs, or we perform gentle jaw massage. None of these therapies will be used until a thorough examination is completed and we determine the best method to treat your particular case of TMD.
Botox
Botox is a protein that smooths and relaxes the muscles. As a dentist, Dr. Svans is intimately familiar with the muscles in your face and jaw and knows the places to inject the botox, providing relief and relaxation to the tense muscles that are causing your TMD. If you are person who constantly clenches your jaw or grinds your teeth, this could be a very helpful procedure for you.
