TMJ Disorders

Prevent Health Problems

TMJ disorder causes wear and tear on your teeth and makes you more vulnerable to dental problems such as cavities and gum recession. TMJ can also result in chronic pain, bruxism, snoring problems, and persistent migraines. A treatment plan that is designed to address your unique functional problems and symptoms can provide relief and prevent ongoing and future health problems.

Reduced Long-Term Dental Care Costs

When temporomandibular disorder goes untreated, patients require other treatments to maintain their teeth, jaw, and overall health. Patients often incur expenses to restore worn and damaged teeth and gums, treat sleep apnea, and address chronic discomfort.

Proper and Effective Treatment

Many patients don't know that their symptoms are related to jaw function. In many cases, they are treated for different disorders such as migraine, tension headaches, sinus pain, ear pain, and other problems. We can diagnose your TMJ disorder using x-rays and Cone Beam CT technology, and then develop a treatment plan that will address your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy, employs low-level electric currents to treat pain. This treatment involves the placement of electrodes at the site of the pain to deliver electricity and stimulate the underlying nerves. We use the following devices:

• Ultra Low Frequency TENS
• ULF-TENS

Injections can reduce pain and encourage healing of the temporomandibular joints. Because every patient's specific needs are different, our practice offers several types of injectable treatments for TMJ relief:

• Trigger Point Injections
• Prolotherapy
• Sphenopalatine Ganglion (SPG) Blocks

Oral appliances can be used to hold the temporomandibular joints in proper alignment to gradually reposition the jaw and surrounding jaw muscles. This can offer long-term relief of TMJ disorder and reduce tooth damage. We offer the following neuromuscular orthotic appliances:

• Pivotal Appliances
• Aqualizer Appliance

The first is intracapsular problems, or problems inside of the joint. This is often caused by structural alterations in the joint itself, which may occur as a result of injury and degeneration. Symptoms of intracapsular problems include clicking, popping, crepitation, and joints that get stuck and will not allow movements such as opening, closing, chewing, or side to side movements. It can also result in pain, specifically head pain.

The second type of problem is capsular problems, or problems in the tissues directly enveloping the joint. These first two types are often considered together as joint disorders. These joints are subject to the same damage as every other joint of the body including arthritis tears or fractures of the joint tissues and various inflammatory and infectious processes.

The last group of disorders is extracapsular disorders, which affect the musculature of the TMJ. Symptoms of extracapsular issues include joint pain, muscle dysfunction, spasms, and myofascial trigger points. It can also result in pain in the head, face, and neck muscles, as well as ringing or buzzing in the ears.