Brunette woman in her 50s in the studio with a pink background with TMJ issues
When you have regular pain in your jaw and head, this could be related to your smile. TMJ disorder, also known as TMD, could lead to major discomfort and threaten your oral health. In today’s blog, your Pella, IA, dentist talks about how we can diagnose and treat issues like TMD with an oral appliance.
Our jaws are connected to our skull with the temporomandibular joints, which control the movements necessary to eat and speak. When these become strained, this could lead to TMJ disorder, which eventually makes opening and closing your mouth fully a difficult process. The stress could be caused by issues like tooth loss, malocclusion, injury to the face or jaw, high levels of anxiety in your daily life, or even complications with the growth and development of your smile. Warning signs of the disorder include headaches, migraines, jaw pain, facial aches, and a popping or clicking sensation in your jaw. When you experience one or more of these possible warning signs, then let us know right away!
Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, could damage your teeth and leave them vulnerable to decay and infection, while also altering the appearance of your smile, making your teeth appear shorter than usual. Untreated bruxism could cause the sonnet of TMJ disorder, and the reverse is true as well. Along with the symptoms we discussed above, people with bruxism may encounter pain in their teeth, such as aches and sensitivity. Don’t ignore any pain in your smile, talk to our team about possible solutions!
Balance could be restored to the smile with orthodontics to correct misalignment, or even the placement of crowns or the use of dental bonding/contouring to restore overall bite balance. But the most common solution for both TMD and bruxism is an oral appliance. Our team begins by gathering detailed digital images of your smile and using these to create an oral appliance that looks and fits like an oral appliance. The device will be worn as we sleep, and reposition the jaw to ease strain and pressure. This also places a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage to them from grinding or clenching teeth.
Now is a good time to see us for treatment, as we can offer care before the holiday season complicates your schedule, and before your 2022 dental insurance benefits and health savings funds expire.
Our team wants to help ease jaw join strain. Contact Allen & Neumann Family Dentistry in Pella, IA by calling 641-628-1121 to learn more about improving the health and balance of your smile with oral appliance therapy.
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