TMJ/TMD
Barrie, Ontario - Canada
Healthy jaw joints are important to your overall well-being. When problems begin to occur with these joints, which are located on the sides of your face, just in front of your ears, you can experience a chain of events that lead to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). The terms TMD and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) are often used interchangeably to describe a bad bite (malocclusion) or jaw misalignment.
Neuromuscular dentist Dr. Adam Chapnick treats TMD by first identifying your optimal jaw position and then devising a unique treatment plan to keep your jaw in alignment.
Causes of TMD
Your TMD unites your lower jaw with your skull. The surrounding muscles allow you to move your jaw up, down, sideways and around. Soft disks of cartilage between the ball and socket portion of the joint allow you to open your mouth smoothly to speak, yawn and eat.
There is no singular cause of TMD, which is why it can be difficult to diagnose. Some common causes of TMD include:
- Jaw muscle fatigue caused by frequent teeth grinding (bruxism), stress or teeth clenching
- Trauma to the jaw joints or other muscles in the neck or head
- Cartilage or disk erosion in the jaw joints
- Misalignment of your jaw, resulting in a crossbite, overbite or underbite
- Osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
Dr. Chapnick and his team use state-of-the-art neuromuscular dentistry technology to help identify jaw misalignment, including:
- Digital X-rays
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit
- K7 Evaluation System: sonography, electromyography and mandibular screening
Symptoms of TMD
The symptoms of TMD can range from mild to severely debilitating:
- Jaw problems: popping, clicking or grinding sounds; stiffness; lock jaw
- Ear problems: pain, ringing (tinnitus), fullness, difficulty hearing
- Face problems: pain, tiredness, swelling
- Head problems: dizziness, migraine-like TMJ headaches
- Body problems: pain in the neck or shoulders
You can experience some of these symptoms without actually having TMD. In fact, sometimes the mild symptoms can go away with lifestyle changes, such as learning relaxation techniques to minimize your stress levels.
Treatment Options for TMD
The goal of a TMD treatment plan is to keep your jaw aligned. To meet this goal, Dr. Chapnick may implement an oral appliance that is tailored to your mouth to prevent bruxism at night. Cosmetic dental procedures can also help to get your teeth in order. Your teeth can be straightened using Invisalign or gaps in your smile eliminated through dental implants or dental bridges. Surgery is rarely used as a treatment for TMD because it is so invasive.
If you have additional questions about TMJ disorder and would like to schedule a TMD evaluation with neuromuscular dentist Dr. Adam Chapnick in Barrie, please contact the experienced team at Molson Park Dental Office.
