Can TMJ pain be resolved by a ... "dentist"?

Do you suffer from chronic headaches, migraines, jaw, neck, facial, or ear pain? Have you ever noticed that your pain is frequently triggered by opening or closing your mouth? When this is the case, you may have TMJ, which stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder and it is commonly referred to as 'TMJ' or 'TMD'. TMJ can cause multiple problems with eating, speaking, hearing, jaw pain and facial strain, and even more.

 

TMJ pain can come on suddenly, last all day, and is difficult to treat without knowing exactly where the pain is coming from. Indeed, TMJ treatment is a complex type of disorder and requires thorough examination to determine the exact cause and an efficient treatment plan.

The first step to getting out of TMJ pain is to make an appointment with a TMJ Dentist (also called Neuromuscular Dentist). There are various treatments for TMJ, depending on the source and severity of the problem. In most cases, a temporary neuromuscular orthotic (oral appliance) is made to restore the original balance and function, with the objective to relax the TMJ joint, and keep inflammation down.

 

When the entire cluster of jaw joints is in a relaxed condition, pain symptoms usually go down. The orthotic will also protect your teeth (and jaws) from grinding. 

 

The clicking and popping sound that you hear when opening or closing your mouth is usually an indication of an underlying problem. The muscles in your jaw are responsible for the noise. It is usually an indication of stress, strain, and tension.

 

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms and notice the popping or clicking during everyday activities such as eating or speaking, make an appointment with an experienced Mount Prospect TMJ Dentist like Dr. Tom Meyer at Meyer Dental Group. With 20+ years of experience, Dr. Tom Meyer helped many patients to get rid of TMJ pain. 

Like everything else, teeth wear out when we age. As a consequence, missing teeth, crooked teeth, and specifically misaligned teeth will alter your overall bite. When the natural balance is disturbed, your bite can react by teeth grinding, jaw clenching, and overall muscular tension. This tension is often transferred to the Temporomandibular joints (your TMJ joints) causing strain and inflammation.

 

When experiencing these muscle pains, the body often tries to compensate (E.G. keeping one shoulder lower or higher to find some pain relief) but as a consequence, the compensation puts even more strain on the other shoulder, resulting in posture changes, which often results in more neck, shoulder, or back pain. It’s a cascading sequence of events that needs to be solved at the root of the problem.

 

Sometimes, TMJ pain is also connected to past events like 

 

Genetics can also play a part with TMJ symptoms. When If you were born with an an awkward position of your jaw, teeth, or tongue, your TMJ muscles can suddenly react at a later age, leaving you with sudden pain while not knowing where it came from.

 

 

POSSIBLE TMJ CAUSES

 

At Meyer Dental Group, we recognize that a TMJ disorder is hard to diagnose clearly, complex to define exactly, and difficult to treat effectively. Please understand that a TMJ disorder is multi-factorial. Meaning: There are multiple things going on with your joints, muscles, jaws, mouth, and teeth - at the same time! An experienced TMJ dentist has to determine all the possible causes of your TMJ pain first, then diagnose properly, and consecutively setup a TMJ disorder treatment plan.

 

The Meyer Dental Group in Mount Prospect Illinois, has the technology, team, and expertise to treat TMJ disorder effectively. But please keep in mind: Every individual is different. Your TMJ disorder is completely unique when we consider genetics, age, medical condition, oral health, and pain symptoms. Therefore, be aware that a 100% guarantee to cure your TMJ disorder does not exist. 

 

Dr. Tom Meyer: "As a neuromuscular dental clinic, we do our best to treat TMJ effectively - but we do not claim that our treatments will always work. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee in health care. However, there is such great joy in seeing many of our TMJ patients get their life back after successfully treating their TMJ condition.”

 

In a nutshell, this is how TMJ treatment works at Meyer Dental Group

 

1. Initial meeting and evaluation of your medical condition and pain symptoms

 

2. Dental exam and diagnostic testing

 

3. Defining a treatment plan

 

4. Getting you out of pain with an oral appliance (orthotic) and TENS therapy

 

5. Monthly adjustments to your orthotic and bite to restore natural function and balance, as needed 

 

6. Discussions on weaning off the appliance and/or Phase 2 permanent bite restorations. 

As we've explained above, experiencing TMJ disorder can be confusing, complicated, and overwhelming because of the multifactorial angles to define treatment.  Even though TMJ treatment can be complex and lengthy in treatment time, we work with patients to make it very affordable to effectively go through the TMJ neuromuscular orthotic treatment phase.  We want to ensure that Dr Meyer can get to the root of your problems and make you feel better and live pain free before doing any permanent changes to your bite.   

 

Since every permanent Phase 2 TMJ treatment plan will be based upon personalized parameters, every indication of cost will be subject to your own unique, individual condition, situation and circumstances.  It can be the best investment of your lifetime to get rid of your TMJ pain and live your life without painful clicking, popping, headaches, jaw, neck, ear, and/or facial pain permanently!  

 

 

Dr. Tom Meyer: