TMJ Appliances

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TMJ Appliances

Dental 266 sees and treats patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. TMJ is a chronic degenerative disease of the joint where the jaw opens and closes. When this joint is imbalanced, injured or damaged, you experience a localised pain called temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome or disorder.

What are the Causes of TMJ Disorder?

Research on the nature of TMJ is continuously being conducted now particularly to its causes. So far, TMJ has been attributed to the following causes: a jaw or teeth injury, teeth grinding, missing teeth, misaligned jaws and teeth, stress, poor posture, arthritis, and hormonal fluctuation in women.

Symptoms of TMJ Disorder

Patients who have TMJ Disorder usually exhibit the following symptoms and experiences:

  • Pain in the jaw joint where the jaw opens and closes
  • Jaw popping and clicking
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Ear pain or an earache
  • Popping sounds in the ears
  • Temple area pain
  • Sore or stiff jaw muscles
  • Locking of the jaw joint
  • Neck and shoulder pain
  • Tinnitus

What TMJ Treatments are available?

At Dental 266, our team of TMJ experts is highly experienced in detecting TMJ disorders and preparing a treatment plan specifically tailored to the dental problems of each patient.

Some TMJ solutions that we offer at our dental centre include:

  • Wearing orthodontic braces
  • Substituting your missing teeth with prosthetics to have a posterior support and a stable bite
  • Being outfitted with an occlusal splint to avoid teeth clenching and grinding while asleep

Other treatments for a TMJ disorder are:

  • Physical therapy. Using warm packs, we teach the patient stretching and strengthening exercises for the patient’s jaw muscles.
  • Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs One of the more popular ones are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) under the generic name Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, IB, etc.).
  • Meditation or yoga to reduce and manage stress
  • Muscle relaxant prescription

Teeth Grinding

Sometimes without knowing it, people grind their teeth when they sleep. Sometimes they clench their jaw for no apparent reason. This condition called Bruxism is not serious nor any cause for worry when it occurs only occasionally. But when it occurs for prolonged periods of time and cause not only the wearing down of teeth but also create discomfort, jaw pain, and headaches, then it’s time to seek professional help for this.

It was also discovered that children and not just adults are also susceptible to Bruxism. A study revealed that about 15%-33% of children grind their teeth when they’re outgrowing their baby teeth and their permanent teeth are coming out. However, teeth grinding among children have been noticed only when they’re sleeping and not during their waking hours.

TMJ Appliance

Our dentists use TMJ System Appliances to help relax jaw and neck muscles, minimise head and neck pain, reduce the pressure on your TMJ, and restrict teeth grinding (bruxism).

Contact our expert team today to schedule a thorough consultation at our Burwood clinic and let us help you with your TMJ disorder problem soon!

Occlusal Splint

Oral splints or mouth guards (occlusal appliances) which are usually a firm or soft device made of plastic resin and inserted between the teeth are what we prescribe to our patients to prevent further tooth wear and grinding.