If you have pain in your face or jaw, or a clicking sensation when you open and close your mouth, this could indicate issues like TMJ disorder or possibly bruxism (teeth grinding). We can help, and we can do so with a comfortable and noninvasive solution. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist talks about treating TMJ disorder and bruxism with an oral appliance.
TMJ Disorder
First, let’s talk about TMJ disorder. When the jaw joints, which connect your jaw and skull, undergo excess strain, this could cause the disorder to develop. Also known as TMD, this could cause problems fully opening and closing the mouth, and lead to sharp pains and discomfort. Factors behind the issue could include missing teeth, injuries to the bite or face, or problems with the eruption of your smile or the eruption of your teeth. Untreated bruxism (chronic teeth grinding) could also be responsible.
Bruxism
Chronic teeth grinding could occur due to high stress levels in your daily life, or even due to changes in your bite balance, such as untreated TMD, tooth loss, misalignment, or injury to your smile. Problems with bit balance, wisdom tooth eruption, or other factors that impact how your smile grows and develops could also lead to chronic grinding and clenching at night. Without treatment, this could wear down and damage teeth, altering your smile’s appearance and leaving you vulnerable to complications like tooth decay and even dental infection, which could eventually threaten smile stability!
Warning Signs of Trouble
When should you contact our team about an exam and diagnosis? We want to see you if you regularly encounter painful tooth sensitivity and toothaches that don’t stop after a day or two. If you have a popping or clicking sensation in your jaw, or sharp pain, then again let us know right away. Sufferers could also have persistent headaches and migraines, or even pain in the neck and shoulders on a regular basis. When you have pain in and around your smile, you should talk to our team about an examination, so we can see if you need treatment with a custom oral appliance.
Creating an Oral Appliance
Our team could help improve bite balance and ease jaw joint strain with orthodontics to correct misalignment, or a dental prosthetic to address missing teeth. We could even improve overall bite balance with bonding or the placement of a dental crown. But for many, we could offer relief with an oral appliance.
We will begin by taking detailed images and impressions of your bite with digital technology, and using the information in a dental lab setting to design and craft your oral appliance. The finished product will look like a mouthguard, and is custom-made of your smile. Worn at night, this helps reposition the jaw to ease underlying stress and strain, so you avoid TMD and teeth grinding symptoms. The appliance also places a soft barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage to them, so you avoid the complications of teeth grinding.
The oral appliance is simple to use, and you can clean it with ease. The device can travel with you too, and makes treatment a convenient process, one without oral surgery or other invasive options.
Lifestyle Changes
You could also help ease symptoms with simple lifestyle changes. For example, try to reduce the stress in your daily life. You can also avoid very hard or chewy foods and snacks that could worsen symptoms, and use a warm washcloth to ease strain in the jaw and facial muscles. Cutting back on caffeinated products can help too.
Repairing Teeth
What about your damaged teeth? If your bruxism has worn down or damaged teeth, we want to repair them to spare you the onset of cavities or infection that could threaten your smile. For minor injuries, we could offer same-day bonding to repair the teeth, offering lifelike results. If you have more substantial injuries, we could create and secure a custom crown, one that looks natural and provides a durable chewing surface.
If you have any questions about how we diagnose and treat issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism, or if you want to talk about possible symptoms, then contact our team today to learn more and get started. We want to help improve your smile and prevent discomfort and injury, so reach out soon!
Treatment for Headaches and Facial Pain
We want to help ease discomfort and protect your smile from injuries and complications in the years to come. Call Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS, today at (913) 681-5500 to schedule your visit with our friendly team.
