You’re a busy teacher at Owasso High School – you love educating your students, and a key part of that is lecturing. Speaking in front of the class to further explain what they’ve read makes lightbulbs go off for your students – and you love seeing the aha moments happen. But last week, right in the middle of lecture, your jaw got stuck in a closed position, which was painful and embarrassing. Your jaw has been popping and clicking for months, and you thought by giving up your chewing gum habit things would resolve themselves. Well, apparently they haven’t and it’s time to work with your dentist in Owasso to correct your jaw problems. In this post, the team at Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry explain what TMJD is and how they can help.
What IS TMJD?
Dr. Jayson Voto and Dr. Hill Trammell explain that TMJ disorders (TMJD) are any number of problems that occur involving the temporomandibular joint. Issues with this hinge joint that connects your jaw to your skull can lead to pain in areas surrounding your jaw when the condition isn’t treated. This condition affects over 10 million people, and the symptoms include:
- Pain or tenderness in your jaw
- Pain in the face, neck, shoulders
- Pain when chewing, speaking, or opening your mouth wide
- The jaw becomes stuck in an open or closed-mouth position
- Clicking, popping, grating sounds
- Fatigue in your facial muscles
- Trouble chewing
- Painful bite changes
- Swelling on the side of your face
- Earaches
What Causes TMJD?
TMJD – more commonly referred to as TMJ in Owasso – is caused by the following conditions:
- Whiplash from a car or general accident
- Grinding or clenching your teeth
- Jaw injury
- Movement of the disc between the joint
- Arthritis in the joint
- Stress, since this can cause you to grind or clench your jaw/face
How Can Your Practice Treat My TMJD?
If you have TMJD, you don’t have to suffer anymore – our team can treat your pain and address the underlying cause with the following methods:
- In mild and moderate cases, we can adjust the biting surfaces of your teeth which will positively impact the way your jaw fits together.
- In more serious cases, we can use braces or occlusal splints to correct the jaw issue.
- If your TMJD is caused by grinding your teeth at night, we can correct this with a comfortable nightguard.
- We can also help treat a common underlying cause of your TMJD – anxiety – by offering relaxation techniques or by working with your doctor for anxiety treatment, or by referring you to a more specialized professional.
When you work with us, we’ll develop and individualized treatment plan to address the underlying cause of your TMJD after performing advanced diagnostic testing to get a close look at your jaw. We’ll make sure that you get the long-term relief you need.
Now that you know what TMJD is, what causes it, and how we can treat it, schedule your appointment with Drake & Voto Family and Cosmetic Dentistry – we’ll make your jaw pain-free!