TMJ Specialist

What are temporomandibular joints?

The temporomandibular joints are located at the base of your skull near your ears on both sides of your face. These joints connect your lower and upper jaws.

Properly functioning, your temporomandibular joints allow you to eat, yawn, and speak. Disorders of these joints can affect the muscles that enable you to open and close your jaws.

What are the symptoms of TMJ disorders?

The team at Comprehensive Family Dentistry understands that diagnosing TMJ disorders can be difficult, as many symptoms are often indicative of other medical conditions. Nonetheless, you may have a TMJ disorder if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• Popping sounds while closing and opening your mouth
• Limited range of motion in your jaw
• Pain in your ear, face, or jaw
• Tenderness in your jaw muscles
• Pressure or pain behind your eyes
• Headaches
• Earaches
• Swelling
  

Get in touch with a team member at Comprehensive Family Dentistry if you’ve experienced any of the above.  

What are the treatments for TMJ disorders?

There’s no known cure for TMJ disorders, though the team at Comprehensive Family Dentistry offers many treatments that can limit the symptoms and restore your range of motion.

Your dentist will work closely with you to help you control and relax your jaw muscles. Your dentist might prescribe medications or recommend changes in your habits, such as:

• Not grinding your teeth
• Not chewing gum
• Not resting your hands on your chin while seated
• Keeping proper posture
  

Comprehensive Family Dentistry offers splints and orthotics to help treat TMJ disorders. Splints fit over your upper and lower teeth to stabilize your jaws. If you wear a splint to correct an improper alignment, you’ll typically wear it at night for three months or more.

Orthotic treatments are more intensive and require constant involvement. Your dentist at Comprehensive Family Dentistry will create a custom acrylic device that you will need to wear all day. In this case, wearing orthotics for three months or more will help reposition your jaws to permanently correct the position of your temporomandibular joints.

To treat your TMJ disorder, or to see if you have a TMJ disorder, book an appointment online or over the phone with Comprehensive Family Dentistry today.