Dental News

Tired of Dealing with TMJ? Your Dentist Can Help

May 3, 2017

Tired of Dealing with TMJ? Your Dentist Can Help

TMJ is an incredible painful disorder and no one wants to deal with it, yet millions of people do. At California Dental Group, we know how difficult it can be to live with. That’s why we encourage those who suffer to make an appointment with their local dentist. Call us today at (800) 407-0161 to make an appointment at one of our six California locations.

Defining TMJ

First, it’s important to understand what TMJ is. It’s actually an abbreviation that stands for temporomandibular joint. There are two of these joints in your mouth and you can feel them if you put your hands under your years and open and close your jaw. This joint makes it possible for you to open and close your jaw, which is important for eating, talking, singing, and much more. In short, it’s essential for your day-to-day life.

Common symptoms of TMJ

There are many symptoms that can indicate an issue with the TMJ. Most commonly, people experience pain in their jaw, difficulty opening or closing their jaw, pain in their face, pain in the neck, pain the shoulder, earaches on a regular basis, or headaches on a regular basis. It’s true that most people will experience all of these symptoms at some point in their lives, but you have them frequently or many symptoms at once, then it may be time to visit your dentist for a dental exam.

There are many potential causes of TMJ disorders

TMJ disorders can affect people for a number of reasons. Some people experience it as a part of arthritis, while others have sustained some type of injury to their jaw or an illness that affects it. In some cases, the jaw or teeth aren’t aligned correctly, but most cases of TMJ disorder are caused by grinding the teeth.

Remember that when you bite you’re putting anywhere between 200 and 250 pounds of pressure on your teeth. When you grind your teeth, research has found that the pressure can get all the way up to 500 pounds. That’s a ton of stress to put on both your teeth and your TMJ. Many people are teeth grinders and don’t even realize it because they do it in their sleep.

How to treat TMJ disorders

If the issue is minor, you can try just eating soft foods for a few days, putting moist heat on your jaw, and taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and / or pain relievers. If these treatments don’t fix the issue then we may create a custom-made mouth guard that protects your teeth while you’re sleeping. It helps by creating a barrier between your top and bottom teeth, which means that you can’t grind them, and it also trains your jaw to rest differently. This can get rid of a lot of the added stress on your TMJ.

To learn more about your TMJ disorder and how it can be treated, contact California Dental Group at (800) 407-0161 to find your closest office.

Read Our Reviews