End Nagging Jaw Pain With TMJ Treatment in The Woodlands
If you have a nagging pain in your jaw, it may be due to problems with your temporomandibular joints (TMJ). An uneven bite and teeth grinding are among the dental issues that can irritate and inflame the joints. Our dentists can solve those problems and relieve your pain with TMJ treatment in The Woodlands.
Dr Burgess on Chronic Jaw Pain and TMJ
Read Transcript You know, in my years of experience, I've been able to meet a lot of people who have been plagued with chronic jaw pain. Some of this is beyond their control. Some of it's with just the dentistry that's been placed in their mouth, some of it's just stress in their lives. Some of it is sleep-disordered breathing issues. If it gets severe enough, whether it's a high crown or a bridge that's too high or stress in your life or clenching or obstructive sleep apnea type of things like this, it can overload the jaws. You can have TMJ pain, joint pain breakdown, arthritis joint pain and muscle pain. All of these things take a toll on your whole life here. We see teeth wear as the common factor that's involved here. We're going to do a complete exam, look at the 15 different signs of traumatic occlusion, and identify if this is in your life here as well.
As needed, we have treatment options to help you with night guards or adjusting your bite to get things stable and functional, to get things ideal for you so you don't break things down further. In some situations, if it's advanced TMJ problems, we work directly with the specialist here in the office, Dr. Phillips, to go to the next step to coordinate other physicians and dentists if it's just beyond the normal range of treatment. But we can basically get all of these things lined up for you. We can triage these things for you, and we can give you the best care in your life.
We’ll treat your TMJ disorder so you can:
- Be free of unpleasant symptoms like headaches, shoulder strain, earaches, and jaw pain
- Regain comfortable range of motion with your jaw
- Avoid dental damage caused by teeth grinding (bruxism)
- Keep pain from spreading from your face to other areas of your body
- Enjoy a more comfortable bite
Our dentists will look for signs of a TMJ disorder during every dental exam. Don’t wait for your next exam if you’re in pain though; call us right away at 281-720-3163.
We Use Several Methods to Treat Your TMJ Pain
Many dentists treat TMJ dysfunction with some kind of a custom mouthguard that relieves pressure on your jaw. At Smiles by Burgess, we use a self-adjusting oral splint called the Aqualizer. In contrast to other kinds of mouthguards, it helps your body naturally find the right bite to relieve your TMJ pain. We may be able to treat your TMJ problem with just the Aqualizer, or we can use it to create a customized mouthguard for you.
In addition, we may suggest:
- An Equilibration Procedure – Our dentists carefully and painlessly alter the biting surfaces of your teeth for a more permanent correction of your bite. Correcting your bite often relieves pressure that can cause TMJ symptoms.
- Referral to a Specialist – In some cases, we’ll refer you to Dr. Katherine Phillips, a local dentist who specializes in treatment of both sleep apnea and TMJ disorders. These two conditions often appear in tandem.
To put an end to your pain, see our team for TMJ treatment in The Woodlands. Call 281-720-3163 to schedule an appointment. You can also make an appointment using our online form.