When you have headaches and jaw pain on a regular basis, this could be a sign of a serious disorder known as TMD, or TMJ disorder. To treat the issue and avoid worsening symptoms and complications, you may benefit from a comfortable and noninvasive oral appliance. In today’s blog, your Fort Worth, TX, orthodontist talks about TMJ therapy.
The Symptoms of TMJ Disorder
How do you know if TMD is impacting your life? For many people, warning signs include a popping or crackling sensation in the jaw. Headaches and migraines are common as well. Jaw pain, facial aches, and discomfort in the neck and shoulders could follow as well. If you encounter one or more of these symptoms in your daily life, you should contact our team to schedule a consultation. We can carefully examine your smile with digital x-rays and advanced intraoral cameras to indicate the presence of TMJ disorder, and assess the severity.
Causes and Possible Complications
The disorder could be caused by factors that upset your overall bite balance and place enormous strain on your temporomandibular joints, which connect your jaw and skull. These could include malocclusion, missing teeth, injury to the face, untreated teeth grinding, or complications with the development of your jaw. Without treatment, symptoms could worsen and you could also develop problems fully opening or closing your mouth. If you also grind your teeth, this could begin to damage your smile and make the onset of cavities and infection more likely.
Treatment with a Custom Oral Appliance
How do we treat an issue like this? For some, we could use braces or Invisalign® aligners to correct misalignment and ease strain on the jaw joints. Placing a crown could be beneficial too, as could bonding or contouring. However, for many we could bring relief with a custom-made oral appliance. Crafted based on the detailed images and 3D impressions we create with advanced iTero® imaging systems, these will look and fit like a mouthguard. However, once in place they gently shift the jaw to ease strain and pressure, so you avoid symptoms. If you grind your teeth, this helps prevent further damage by putting a barrier between your upper and lower sets of teeth.
If you have any questions about treating TMD, then contact our team today.
Ready to Tackle Your TMJ Issues?
We would like to help people avoid painful symptoms of TMD with a comfortable treatment option. If you have any questions about how we correct strain and imbalance in your smile, or if you would like to schedule an appointment soon, 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.
