If you have chronic headaches or migraines, or an ache in your jaw, this could be due a disorder brought on by imbalance and strain. TMJ disorder, also known as TMD, could lead to painful symptoms and threats to your oral health. But your Dallas, TX, dentist can offer relief with a custom oral appliance!
The Causes of TMD
The joints connecting your jaw and skull are responsible for the movements necessary to eat and speak. When these temporomandibular joints become strained, this could lead to TMJ disorder, and eventually, problems fully opening and closing your mouth. The factors could include issues that upset bite balance and strain the joints, such as malocclusion, tooth loss, injury to the smile, or issues with the eruption of the teeth or the development of the jaw. As part of your treatment, we will carefully examine the smile with digital technology to understand the causes of your TMD, so we can choose the most appropriate treatment option.
Warning Signs
People with TMJ disorder may report pain in the neck and shoulders, aches in the face and jaw, and headaches and migraines on a regular basis. A crackling sensation in the jaw is common too. When you experience one or more of these common warning signs, see us right away for a thorough diagnosis, so we can decide what treatment you may need.
Dangers
As we touched on above, the disorder could upset how we open and close our mouths, and cause pain when we eat. The issue could also increase the risk of related disorders like bruxism. Chronic teeth grinding could damage outer structure in the teeth and increase the risk of tooth decay and infection, and also change the appearance of your smile too.
Treatment with Oral Appliances
For some, we could offer relief with crowns or bonding, improving the overall balance of your bite. Our team could also correct misalignment to stop malocclusion, and provide a prosthetic to address tooth loss. But the most common solution is a custom and noninvasive oral appliance. The device is custom-fitted for your smile and designed to fit like a mouthguard, while also repositioning the jaw to ease TMD. If you have bruxism, this also puts a barrier between the upper and lower teeth to prevent further damage to the teeth. If you have any questions about how our team diagnoses and treats issues like TMD, then contact our team today to learn more.
Talk To Your Dallas, TX Dentist About Improving Bite Balance
If you have pain in the jaw then talk to our team about possible solutions. If you would like to learn more about our treatments to improve joint strain, reach us at Silk Dental Wellness by calling (214)969-SILK(7455).
