Do I Have TMJ Disorder?
TMJ disorder can occur for different reasons, including the presence of bruxism (teeth grinding), chronic arthritis, or a traumatic injury to the jaw. Common symptoms that patients may experience in their day-to-day life include the following:
- Constant, significant pain in the jaw, head, neck, shoulders, or back
- Regular headaches/migraines
- Finding it difficult to fully open and close your mouth
- Regularly hearing clicking or popping sounds when opening and closing the mouth
- Regularly feeling tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or pain that feels like an earache
- Constant vertigo (dizziness)
If your case of TMJ disorder is relatively mild, the use of muscle relaxants and/or aspirin can often provide the relief a patient needs. On the opposite side, highly severe cases may require jaw surgery to fully correct. Generally, the most common type of treatment recommended for TMJ disorder is a personalized occlusal splint.
An occlusal splint is a type of mouthguard that can be used to treat TMJ disorder. Our team may recommend them to patients to relieve discomfort from grinding or clenching their teeth or to reset the jaw’s natural resting position into its proper place. Our goal is to help the patient, through consistent use, achieve long-lasting improvements in their overall quality of life – in fact, they may reach a point where they no longer need to wear the occlusal splint any longer.