Do you often feel persistent pain in the jaw or near the facial joints when you bite or chew food? Or, do you hear a popping or clicking sound every time you move the jaw? This could be due to Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD), an inflammatory condition affecting the temporomandibular joint(TMJ). It can adversely affect your everyday routine and make it quite difficult for jaw movement.
What causes TMD?
TMD is most often caused due to stressed out tissues around the TMJ. Frequent snacking, clenching the jaw, grinding one’s teeth, or injury to the TMJ are the major causes of such a condition. The symptoms of TMD are:
The best way to reduce the severity of TMD is by massaging the TMJ joint and the surrounding tissues regularly. This helps to relieve them of the stress and makes it easier to move the jaw. Also, patients need to be aware of clenching the jaw, as they tend to do it subconsciously. This can apply a lot of stress on the muscles of the face and limit jaw movement. Avoiding chewing gum and frequent snacking also provides relief from the condition.
When you visit the dentist to get the condition diagnosed, we will thoroughly analyze it and draw out a suitable treatment plan. Bruxism, a condition where the patients subconsciously clench their jaw and grind their teeth while asleep, can be avoided using a night-time bruxism guard. If the condition is severe and is causing a lot of trouble, we may have to perform surgery to change the jaw's alignment.
Do you suffer from problems with your bite and jaw? Dr. Larry Leonakis would be happy to perform a TMJ evaluation to determine if you need our treatment for the TMJ in Carson City, Nevada. We encourage you to call our dentist and team at 775-882-0635 today and find relief from your painful symptoms.
MON - THU 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
FRI - SUN Closed
