Do you experience frequent earaches and headaches? Do you have constant jaw pain, especially when you first wake up in the morning? If so, you may be experiencing either bruxism or TMJ disorder. Both bruxism and TMJ are serious conditions and can be incredibly uncomfortable, leading to intense adverse oral health problems.

What is bruxism?

Bruxism, also known as tooth grinding, is a term for clenching or grinding your teeth. Chronic teeth grinding can result in cracking, loosening, and even eventually the loss of your teeth. It can also result in serious harm to the tissues and muscles within and surrounding the jaw area. Regular clenching and grinding of teeth can also damage the surface of the teeth leading to TMJ disorder.

What Is TMJ Disorder?

TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joint, which is the jaw joint. It connects your jaw to the skull. When this joint is damaged, it leads to a localized pain disorder known as TMJ syndrome. The temporomandibular joint links the lower jawbone to the head and manages the smooth function of the jaw when yawning, eating, chewing, and speaking. With TMJ disorder, the nerve ends become unprotected, which can result in a wide variety of uncomfortable and painful symptoms. These symptoms of TMJ disorder include back, shoulder, or neck pain, earaches, headaches, and clicking sound with jaw movement. There are a number of different factors that can cause TMJ disorder such as trauma to the neck, face, head, or jaw, misalignment of the jaw joint, arthritis in the temporomandibular joint, or bruxism.

At our practice, we understand how painful, distrusting and frustrating the symptoms of TMJ disorder can be. Treatment for bruxism and TMJ vary depending on the severity and the cause of the condition. In some cases, anti inflammatory pills and jaw splints may do the job. For more serious cases, you may need physical therapy and even surgery. At our practice, we are committed to treating these conditions in the most efficient way possible, and will do all we can do to alleviate your discomfort immediately.

If you believe that you are suffering from bruxism or TMJ disorder, visit DDS Family Dental to get a full examination and consultation today. Our team will try to determine the cause of your problem and will help craft a treatment plan to get your jaw and teeth functioning normally in no time. Don’t suffer through the symptoms of these conditions – give us a call today.