TMD can be an extremely painful and debilitating disorder which affects many important aspects of life
Here at Extreme Dentistry in Darwin we are passionate about ensuring patient comfort. This can sometimes involve treating already developed conditions such as temporomandibular joint disorder which is a condition that affects the feeling and function of the jaw. The jaw muscle that connects the jaw to the cheek bone is called the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This joint can become painful due to complications in the muscle or bone, at which point it will be called TMD or temporomandibular joint disorder.
Extreme Dentistry can help treat your TMD
We use both more traditional treatments as well as more advanced and innovative procedures to help ease our patients’ TMD symptoms. These symptoms include:
- Pain in the jaw
- Chronic headaches or migraines
- A clicking jaw while eating or speaking
- Jaw locking
- Impeded mobility of the jaw muscles and joint
If you experience any of these symptoms one of our professional doctors will be able to help treat you. We have 4 main treatments that we employ to ease the symptoms of TMD.
1) An oral or night guard appliance
An oral appliance or night guard is worn while you asleep and it is used to train proper oral posture of the mouth. Oral posture is an extremely important part of dentistry as our jaw and orofacial structure provides the foundations for the development of our teeth. If you have a problem with oral posture you may have a crossbite, underbite or overbite or you may breathe through your mouth which alters the position of the tongue in the mouth while you rest. The correct position of the tongue is what maintains the arch of your teeth in the mouth while you sleep and breathe normally. This night guard will train your tongue and jaws to stay in the right position to reduce symptoms or prevent TMD.
2) Physical therapy
Your dentist at Extreme Dentistry in Darwin may recommend physical jaw exercises to train the muscle to function properly or strengthen it. These exercises should only be prescribed by a dentist as overexertion can also be a cause of TMD and cause more pain than it reduces.
3) Oral Medication
Sometimes we may recommend an oral medication to aid in the correct functioning of the TMJ. These medications are known to increase muscle tenseness and thus enable more relaxed function.
4) Anti-wrinkle treatments have been found to improve signs of TMD
It may sound strange, but wrinkle relaxant and filler treatments have been found to make a significant difference in the effects of TMD. As tensing your muscles frequently can cause TMD it is only logical that a muscle relaxant would be able to relax that muscle and reduce the affects.
Another great treatment which you can instigate yourself is making an effort to remain peaceful and calm throughout the day. As TMD can be caused by stress and tenseness, making an effort to relax your muscles can improve your symptoms dramatically.
If you believe you have TMD you should book a consultation with Extreme Dentistry as soon as possible. We are dedicated to improving our patients’ help and can provide the solution to your pain and discomfort.
If you would like to book an appointment at Extreme Dentistry in Darwin please don’t hesitate to contact us.
