TMJ is a well-known acronym that’s often used to describe a condition in which a person’s jaw pops while they’re chewing or talking. While TMJ and jaw popping are connected, that’s not the whole story. TMJ is an abbreviation of temporomandibular joint, one of which is located under the skin and muscles just in front of each of your ears. These are like hinges that allow your mouth to open and give you the ability to eat and speak. Jaw pain, popping, clicking and other related symptoms are disorders of the TMJ. When these become persistent and interfere with your normal daily functioning, you may need to come to our Tavares, FL office for TMJ treatment.
TMJ disorders have many causes. You might be consciously or unconsciously grinding your teeth, your teeth might be misaligned (a condition called malocclusion), or your jaw muscles may be stressed, sometimes indicating that you’re suffering from emotional stress. The symptoms manifest themselves in a number of ways, both in your mouth and beyond in other parts of your upper body. You may experience jaw pain, jaw stiffness, headaches (including migraines), eye pain, ringing in your ears, earaches, and even neck pain and stiffness. At Lakeview Comprehensive Dentistry, we follow the philosophy of the renowned Pankey Institute in our approach to TMJ treatment. We know that dental and systemic health are interrelated, and we seek to heal you as a whole person, not just your dental problems.
Mouth guards are easy for you to put into your mouth when you’re going to sleep, or at select times during the day, and come out easily for cleaning and before meals. During this TMJ treatment we carefully smooth out problem areas of your teeth to give you back a more natural, comfortable bite. In addition, we can perform an occlusal equilibrium to remedy malocclusion, another common cause of TMJ issues that can wear down your teeth. The team here at our Tavares, FL office can alleviate your TMJ symptoms by custom-fitting you with a mouth guard, a very effective TMJ treatment for preventing teeth grinding that can also be used to treat sleep apnea.
