When you have issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism, you could experience painful symptoms in your face, head, and jaw, and could even develop damaged teeth too. But our team can offer a treatment to protect the smile, one that employs a simple and comfortable oral appliance. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist talks about how we help with a custom oral appliance.
Signs of Trouble
What are signs that you have jaw joint disorders like TMD or bruxism? You could be experiencing headaches or migraines frequently, or may suffer from pain in the jaw or face. Popping or clicking could occur in the jaw, as could aches in the neck or shoulders. You may also experience persistent toothaches and tooth sensitivity that doesn’t pass after a day or two. When you have unexplained pain in and around your smile, then you should let us know. We will conduct a diagnosis and see if you need treatment for TMJ disorder or chronic teeth grinding!
TMJ Disorder
With TMJ disorder, the pressure on your jaw joints, the joints that connect your jaw and skull, could lead to painful symptoms, and even upset bite balance, leading to issues opening and closing your mouth. This could be brought on by issues like untreated bruxism, injury to the face or jaw, issues with eruption of the teeth and the growth of the jaw, missing teeth, and misalignment.
Bruxism
Bruxism, in which you grind and clench your teeth on a nightly basis, can be brought on by issues that upset bite balance, such as untreated TMJ disorder, missing teeth, misalignment, or issues with the growth of the smile or the eruption of the teeth. A high level of stress in your daily life could also be a factor. As you grind and clench your teeth, this can wear down structure to make teeth appear shorter, and could also crack or chip the outer enamel. These complications not only change the appearance of your smile. but leave you more vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and dental infection, or even tooth loss. Your grinding could also interrupt your significant other’s ability to sleep well.
Diagnosis
To diagnose the issue, our team will use digital x-rays and intraoral cameras to obtain clear and high-definition images of your smile looking for signs of imbalance and signs of wear and friction. These systems use 90% less radiation, and images are available right away chairside, no need to wait for their development. You enjoy a more accurate and precise diagnosis, and less time in the chair. Our team can use the information and images to plan treatment, and design custom oral appliances that fit comfortably and offer treatment to ease discomfort and prevent further injury to your smile!
Our Custom Appliance
For some, we could treat the issue with orthodontics to correct misalignment, prosthetics to address missing teeth, or bonding or crowns to help improve overall bite balance. But we could also design and fabricate a custom oral appliance, one that is cutgsiom0fitetd for your smile. The oral appliance is designed to fit comfortably and gently shift your smile to ease strain and stress. The device will look and fit like a mouthguard, and is worn as you sleep. This also places a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage to your smile, so you avoid issues like tooth decay or worn-down teeth. The oral appliance is also easy to use, clean, and store, and can travel with you too.
Repairing Damage
What about the damage to your smile? For minor cracks or chips, we could use composite resin in a bonding procedure to repair the tooth in only one visit. Our team could also use custom crowns to address more severe damage and improve the overall balance of your bite. We want to help return your smile to optimal oral health, function, and beauty, so you feel confident in your smile and avoid the strain in your bite. If you have any questions about how our team will diagnose and treat issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding), then please reach out to our team today. We want to help you enjoy optimal oral health and smile that makes a great first impression, so talk to our team about possible treatment options today.
Do You Need to Schedule a Visit for a Custom Appliance?
Our team wants to diagnose and treat issues related to jaw joint strain to prevent discomfort and damaged teeth. Call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling (913)681-5500 to learn more about how we treat issues like TMD and teeth grinding, so you can enjoy a more comfortable smile.
