Millions of Americans suffer from chronic facial and neck pain as well as recurrent headaches. In some cases, this pain is due to Temporomandibular Disorder, or TMD.
Your temporomandibular joints (TMJ), connect your lower jawbone to your skull. As you may imagine, these joints get quite a lot of use throughout the day as you speak, chew, swallow, and yawn. Pain in and around these joints can be unpleasant and may even restrict movement.
Symptoms of TMD
- Pain in the jaw area
- Pain, ringing, or stuffiness in the ears
- Frequent headaches or neck aches
- Clicking or popping sound when the jaw moves
- Swelling on the sides of the face
- Muscle spasms in the jaw area
- A change in the alignment of top and bottom teeth
- Locked jaw or limited opening of the mouth
Causes of TMD
Temporomandibular disorders can be the result of a single event such as trauma, but far more often it is the result of a combination of factors. Untangling the origins of someone’s TMD problems takes an evaluation of underlying medical issues, airway evaluation, health/wellness assessment, other existing pain conditions, and the patient’s bite.
Does Our Office Treat TMD?
We are not accepting patients just for TMD treatment. We do see orthodontic patients with TMD quite frequently. For those people who were wanting orthodontics for cosmetic and functional issues, we will adopt “TMD-friendly” mechanics. As well as, TMD-Friendly retainer choices. For the most severe TMD patients, we may recommend occlusal splint therapy that is additional charge beyond orthodontics alone.
