Strange things can happen with a person’s jaw. It’s fairly common for certain people to experience pain when opening or closing their jaws, clicking, popping, mysterious headaches, and even ringing in the ears! That array of symptoms is usually due to problems with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that connects your lower jaw with your skull. You can find effective relief from TMJ problems by consulting Dr. Chet Swartzentruber at Carmichael Dental Care in Montgomery, AL.
That’s A Very Busy Joint
Your TMJ joints – you have one on each side – are very complex structures in which things have to slide past each other easily. When something interferes with that operation, the result can be a jaw that locks when you open or close your mouth, pain in the jaw and even in the teeth, painful eating, shoulder pain, headaches, tinnitus, and many other issues.
Some things that can cause TMJ issues include:
- Arthritis
- Injury due to impact
- Muscle imbalances
- Chronic teeth grinding while asleep (this may be a cause or a result of TMJ)
- Bite or jaw misalignment
- Stress
- Chronic gum chewing
Sometimes, it’s not possible to accurately pinpoint the cause of a person’s TMJ issues, but it is quite possible to provide relief from the symptoms and to protect their teeth against premature wear and tear. Both of the symptoms and the enamel wear are potentially serious problems that need to be addressed. The impact of TMJ problems on some people can be so severe that they impact the person’s day-to-day functioning, ability to hold a job, and their overall wellbeing.
If you’re experiencing TMJ problems, waiting won’t improve things. Take action today to make your life better by scheduling a consultation with Dr. Chet Swartzentruber at Carmichael Dental Care in Montgomery, AL.
Treatment Options
The best treatment for your symptoms depends on a number of factors – the severity of your symptoms, how long they’ve been present, whether there’s any history of damage to the joint, the presence or absence of arthritis, and other things.
For many people, treatment focuses on easing muscle tension that may be contributing to the problem. Dr. Swartzentruber can provide a customized nightguard for your mouth. You wear the nightguard while you sleep and it prevents the tooth surfaces from grinding against each other. The nightguard will also slightly reposition your jaw to relieve chronic muscle tension and help ease your symptoms.
Some people can benefit from the facial rejuvenation treatment that we offer in our practice. That treatment relaxes your facial muscles to help prevent pain.
Your response to treatment is a very individual matter whether your care includes a nightguard, facial rejuvenation treatment, or both. You may well find almost immediate relief, or it may take some time before you notice that your jaw is opening and closing smoothly and those weird headaches have all but vanished.
You Don’t Have To Live With Jaw Pain
You can find effective relief from TMJ symptoms, safeguard your teeth, and improve your quality of life. Your path to relief begins by scheduling an appointment with Carmichael Dental Care in Montgomery, AL. Call our office today at 334-600-1423.