When you suffer from frequent headaches, the cause could potentially be linked to strain on your jaw joints. Treating TMJ disorder, also known as TMD, helps improve the balance and strength of your jaw, offering relief and a stronger smile. In today’s blog, your Houston, TX, dentist will explain how we diagnose and treat TMJ disorder.
The Factors Behind TMJ Disorder
TMJ disorder is an issue that arise when your temporomandibular joints, which connect your jaw and skull, become strained. The source of the strain could be linked to issues that upset the balance of your bite, such as misalignment tooth loss, injury, stress, or even untreated bruxism (teeth grinding). Over time, this disorder could make opening and closing your mouth difficult, and of course, leads to a host of uncomfortable symptoms.
Headaches and Other Symptoms
How do you know if you have an issue that needs treatment? If you experience regular headaches or migraines, this could be a symptom. Other warning signs include jaw pain, popping or clicking sensations in the jaw, facial pain, and aches in the neck and shoulders. If you also grind your teeth due to this disorder, then you could experience toothaches and tooth sensitivity as well. Don’t ignore these warning signs, let us know right away. Our team will perform a detailed exam to diagnose the cause and assess the severity of your TMD. From there, we will create a customized treatment plan to address the issue and restore comfort to your smile!
Possible Solutions
For some, orthodontic care could be used to correct misalignment and ease strain on your joints. Placing a crown could help ease stress as well. However, the most common option is to create an oral appliance. We craft the device based on detailed digital measurements and images we gather of your smile. The finished product will look and fit much like a mouthguard, and will be worn as you sleep. During the night, the device moves your jaw to ease strain and prevent symptoms during the day. If you grind your teeth, then this could prevent inadvertent damage to your smile by placing a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth. During treatment, we could also suggest using a warm washcloth against each side of the face to ease strain, and to cut back on chewy or hard foods, as consuming them could exacerbate symptoms.
If you have any questions, then please give our team a call today!
TALK TO YOUR HOUSTON, TX DENTIST ABOUT TMJ SOLUTIONS
Our team wants to help find the best solution for your headaches or migraines. To find out more about treating imbalanced bites and strained jaw joints, please contact your Houston, TX, dentist, Dr. Vlachakis, by calling 281-974-4494.
