TMJ Treatment

In some cases, the symptoms of TMJ disorders may go away without treatment. If your symptoms persist, your doctor may recommend a variety of treatment options, often more than one to be done at the same time.

Your doctor or dentist will discuss your symptoms and examine your jaw. He or she will probably:

• Listen to and feel your jaw when you open and close your mouth
• Observe the range of motion in your jaw
• Press on areas around your jaw to identify sites of pain or discomfort

If your doctor or dentist suspects a problem, you may need:

• Dental X-rays to examine your teeth and jaw
• CT scan to provide detailed images of the bones involved in the joint
• MRI to reveal problems with the joint’s disk or surrounding soft tissue
• TMJ arthroscopy is sometimes used in the diagnosis of a TMJ disorder. During TMJ arthroscopy, your doctor inserts a small thin tube (cannula) into the joint space, and a small camera (arthroscope) is then inserted to view the area and to help determine a diagnosis.

Don’t worry.

We’ll take care of it.

The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, are the joints located on each side of the head where the skull and lower jaw meet. It is the most constantly used joint in our body, allowing us to open and close our mouth, speak and chew.

Any problem that prevents TMJ to work properly may result in TMJ disorders. Oftentimes, TMJ disorders have long-term symptoms that can affect a patient’s quality of life.

Possible causes of TMJ disorders include arthritis, injuries, displacement of the disc located between the jawbone and the socket, stress and teeth grinding (bruxism).

Symptoms of TMJ Disorders

• difficulty in opening and closing the mouth
• pain in the jaw and cheekbones
• pain when eating
• earaches or ringing in the ears
• frequent headaches
• clicking sounds when opening and closing the mouth
• changes in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
• discomfort in your neck and shoulders
• problems when moving the jaw side to side or forward
• pain when touching the TMJ area or jaw muscles

If your symptoms persist, your dentist may recommend a variety of treatment options.

Treatments of TMJ Disorders

Diagnosing TMJ disorders can be complex and may require different procedures. Depending on the diagnosis, we may recommend stress management, bite plate or splint therapy or short-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve the pain and to relax the muscles.

If these are unsuccessful, we may refer you to our TMJ specialist or our Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon for other treatment options. A surgical approach may include arthroscopy, arthrocentesis, or joint reconstruction.