If you have pain in your jaw, or frequent headaches, this could be the result of a common issue known as TMJ disorder, or TMD. Without treatment, this could eventually complicate how you open and close your mouth! Fortunately, your Fort Worth, TX, orthodontist can offer relief with a simple oral appliance as part of our approach to TMJ therapy.
Jaw Pain and TMD
TMJ disorder means that the temporomandibular joints, which connect your jaw and skull, have become strained. The disorder could eventually make opening and closing your mouth difficult, and could cause problems for your smile’s health and function. The factors behind the strain vary, but could include a number of issues that alter bite balance, such as tooth loss, misalignment, stress, or injury to the face or jaw. As part of your treatment, we will carefully examine your smile to identify the factors behind your strain, and will provide the most appropriate treatment!
Long-Term Impacts
Symptoms will continue to grow worse, and could include pain in your jaw, headaches or migraines, a popping or crackling sensation in your jaw, or aches in the neck and shoulders. You could also develop bruxism (chronic teeth grinding) from the strain, which places enormous pressure on the teeth. They could become cracked or chipped over time, and the injury and worn enamel could make the onset of tooth decay and dental infection more likely, threatening the stability of your smile!
TMJ Therapy
For some, treatment is possible with braces or aligners, correcting the misalignment in the smile. However, many will benefit from oral appliance therapy. With the iTero® digital imaging systems, we gather a series of pictures from all angles of your smile using a small camera at the end of a thin wand. The images will be combined to create a detailed 3D model, one that allows us to design and fabricate an oral appliance. The device will look and fit like a simple mouthguard, but also corrects the position of the jaw to ease pressure and stop TMJ symptoms.
If you have persistent pain in and around your jaw and smile, then let us know right away. A diagnostic exam will tell us if you need TMD treatment, and if so, we can help create a custom oral appliance that fits your smile! If you want to set up a visit, give us a call!
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TREATING TMD?
We want to ease discomfort and improve your oral health by tackling your TMJ disorder. To learn more about correcting your smile’s bite balance, then please call Lake Country Orthodontics in Fort Worth, TX at (817) 236-7846. Our office proudly serves patients who live in Haslet, Azle, and all surrounding communities.
