Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD, is a severe and painful medical condition of the jaw joint that connects your lower joint to your skull. Dr. Jeffrey Robertson and his Irvine dental staff can help relieve your TMJ pain using modern dental technology and proven dental treatments. If you find yourself in discomfort and dental pain, give us a call at Irvine Dental, so we can diagnose any potential oral health problems.
What Is TMD?
The TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, connects your mandible (lower jaw) to your temporal bone (skull) in front of your ear. When there are issues with your jaw joint, you’ll notice head and neck pain, ear pain, facial discomfort, headaches, a locked jaw that is difficult to open, biting issues, and clicking or popping noises when you open your mouth. TMJ dysfunction is also referred to as temporomandibular joint disorder, TMD.
Many people use the terms TMD and TMJ interchangeably, but they do refer to different conditions. A TMJ disorder involves jaw joint pain, whereas TMD involves joint dysfunction.
Common Signs of TMD
Temporomandibular disorders can originate in many ways, but generally, if you find yourself suffering from any of the following, please give your Irvine dental office a call immediately:
- Intense pain in the jaw joint that you can feel in the shoulders, neck, temples, and ears
- Clicking or pops when you open your mouth
- Pain when eating or chewing
- Headaches when you wake up
- Locking of the jaw that makes it difficult to open your mouth
- Straining to eat
Dr. Robertson has years of TMD treatment experience, and our Irvine dental office uses a cone-beam CT scanner to diagnose TMD disorders.
The cone-beam CT scanner allows for three-dimensional views of your teeth, nerve pathways, soft tissues, and jawbone all at once, all in less than a minute.
Causes of TMD
As with many dental health problems, there are several reasons why TMD may occur. Many patients suffer from TMD because of:
- Injury or trauma to the jaw joint
- Arthritis in the jaw joint
- Erosion of the connective disc
- Bruxism or teeth grinding
Treating TMD in Irvine
During your TMJ evaluation with Dr. Robertson, we’ll go over your symptoms and use advanced dental technology to determine if there is any damage or trauma to your jaw joint.
We treat TMD with a combination of different approaches, such as prescription medication to reduce inflammation and stop pain. If you suffer from bruxism (teeth clenching and grinding), we may recommend muscle relaxers.
You may use ice and heat directly on the jaw joint to temporarily relieve discomfort, but if the problem is severe, surgery could be necessary.
Why It’s Important Not to Put off TMD Treatment
Irvine patients who have TMJ often suffer from pain and discomfort in their neck, head, ears, and shoulders, along with headaches, dizziness, earaches, and even ringing in the ears. We never want our patients to suffer needlessly; we can help treat your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Perhaps your bite is misaligned; this is also known as malocclusion, which means your teeth do not line up correctly. When you bite down while eating, you can develop painful inflammation.
Sometimes, patients grind their teeth at night without realizing it; this is known as bruxism. Grinding and clenching your teeth can lead to enamel erosion, which can lead to cavities or teeth fracturing.
Treating your TMD not only ends your pain, but it also addresses your oral health issues. TMD treatment could mean that Dr. Robertson fixes your misaligned bite through orthodontic treatment. If you have bruxism, Dr. Robertson will customize a nightguard for you to wear while you sleep to allow your jaw to rest.
Nightguards for TMD Treatment In Irvine, CA
Nightguards, known as oral splints, are a minimally invasive, non-surgical approach to treating TMD. The nightguard or oral splint is worn in your mouth and goes over your teeth to prevent the teeth from touching, which frees and releases any pressure at the joint and allows any inflammation to heal.
You can choose from a variety of nightguards and determine the hardness of the material. We may recommend an NTI device; these go between your front teeth while you sleep and gradually coaches your lower jaw forward so that your back teeth remain apart and your jaw joint muscles can relax.
Patients who use nightguards have reported fewer symptoms and less pain.
At-Home Solutions for TMD
There are some things Irvine patients can practice at home to try to relieve TMD. Dr. Robertson may recommend jaw exercises or massages to reduce inflammation or muscle pain and promote relaxation.
Additional ways to relax your muscles are by practicing stretching and yoga and eating soft foods.
Alternating hot and cold temperatures may help your joint relax as well. For moderate to severe pain, you may want to consider physical therapy exercises that allow you to relax.
Schedule Your TMJ Treatment Consultation in Irvine Today
Dealing with your TMJ issues not only improves your quality of life but also your sleep! You don’t have to live with jaw pain one more day. To find out more about TMD and schedule your free consultation with Irvine dentist Dr. Jeffrey Robertson, please call Irvine Dental today at (714) 838-7272. Your comfort is important to us, and an oral splint may be the long-awaited solution you’ve been looking for.
FAQs About TMJ Treatment in Irvine, CA
Can you help me stop grinding my teeth?
Excessive teeth grinding, or bruxism, is common and affects millions of Americans each year. Bruxism can cause real damage because the force of your jaw is so strong. You can wear down your teeth, break them, and even crack them. Treating bruxism is so important to maintaining your dental health.
Teeth Grinding Treatment in Irvine:
Dr. Jeffrey Robertson is skilled in bruxism treatment. Excessive teeth grinding can cause TMJ symptoms to develop or worsen, so it is important to take care of it right away. Generally, we use an oral appliance to treat bruxism. We offer several different styles to suit your needs.
Once Dr. Robertson does a full exam, he can recommend the treatment he believes will help you the most. Treating your bruxism in a timely fashion may help you to avoid serious dental conditions in the future.
What Happens If You Don’t Get It Treated?
Some of the most common consequences of untreated bruxism include cracked teeth that require dental crowns, a root canal from trauma, and prematurely shortened teeth. All of the treatments for these conditions are more expensive and invasive than the treatment of bruxism, so why not call us today to schedule your evaluation, and we can help to protect your smile? Dr. Jeffrey Robertson and our entire team look forward to seeing you.
Does TMJ treatment hurt?
Contrary to what you might think, TMJ treatment is usually non-invasive and painless. In fact, the goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms that accompany TMJ.
Symptoms of TMJ include, but are not limited to:
- Jaw pain
- Facial pain
- Teeth grinding
- Popping, clicking, or grinding in your joint
- Jaw locking open or closed
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Teeth not coming together correctly
- Unstable bite
If you experience any of these symptoms, call our dental office in Irvine, CA, to schedule a TMJ evaluation. TMJ generally does not resolve on its own and your joint may deteriorate over time.
Treating TMJ in Irvine:
Additionally, the severity of your symptoms may significantly decrease your quality of life by causing pain and fatigue. Our patients report a significant reduction in symptoms after treatment for even a short time. The custom occlusal appliances we make for our patients help to release the tension for your jaw and protect your teeth from constant grinding.
Dr. Jeffrey Robertson designs custom oral appliances to keep your jaw in a comfortable position so that you can heal and get relief without surgery.
Our oral appliances may take a little getting used to, but they do not hurt. Most patients get completely used to wearing them within a couple of days.
What Is TMJ?
People often refer to conditions of the jaw as TMJ because your jaw joint is called the temporomandibular joint. Conditions of the jaw are often referred to as TMJD or temporomandibular joint disorder.
Usually when people say they have TMJ, they are referring to the symptoms of a joint disorder or dysfunction.
Some of the symptoms may include:
- Clicking
- Popping
- Pain
- Locking open
- Locking closed
- Headaches
- Neck aches
- Shoulder pain
- Teeth grinding
TMJD often starts with no real cause, though some patients have reported symptoms after a car accident, sports injury, or other trauma. Often, a cause cannot be pinpointed. TMJD can start at any stage of life in both men and women.
Treating TMJ in Irvine:
You may notice worsening symptoms after you wake up in the morning. If you do, it is a pretty good indication that you are grinding your teeth at night. A night guard or splint could help to relieve your symptoms and improve your comfort. A night guard can also protect your teeth from wear and tear you may cause from teeth grinding and clenching.
Sometimes, symptoms may be worse at times of stress. Managing your stress and limiting stress-causing foods like caffeine and sugar could work in conjunction with treatment to provide you faster relief.
Why does my jaw click and pop?
If you hear regular clicking and popping in your jaw, you may be suffering from something called temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ or TMJD for short). TMJD is a condition where your jaw is out of alignment. This can cause pain, clicking, popping, locking, and even change how your teeth come together. Because TMJD rarely resolves on its own, if you suspect you have TMJD, scheduling an appointment with a dentist who knows about TMJ would be a good idea.
Patients often start having symptoms after having an accident, new dental work, or symptoms may gradually appear over time. Teenagers often experience clicking and popping, but rarely report anything unless pain is involved.
At our office, Dr. Jeffrey Robertson treats TMJ with several different approaches, depending on your symptoms. Treatment is generally non-invasive and using an occlusal splint or NTI device can relieve most symptoms.
Mouthguard for TMJ in Irvine:
An occlusal guard is made of acrylic and fits comfortable over your teeth during the day or at night. It can help to reposition the jaw and prevent tooth grinding. An NTI device fits over your front teeth at night, and gently moves your jaw forward, preventing grinding and providing relief to your muscles.
The treatment that works best for you depends on your symptoms and the severity of your symptoms. Dr. Robinson can help you feel more comfortable and relieve symptoms of TMJ through effective diagnosis and treatment.
How do you treat TMJ?
TMJ is short for temporomandibular joint. When people refer to TMJ, they are often referring to a group of symptoms associated with a damaged or sore TMJ. Some of the most common symptoms of TMJ include pain, clicking, popping, locking, and muscle soreness.
When we treat TMJ in our office, Dr. Jeffrey Robertson will perform a full evaluation so that he knows how to best approach your treatment. TMJ is not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis and our recommendations depend largely on the severity of your symptoms.
In most cases, we use a combination of medications and an oral appliance. We offer several different types of oral appliances depending on what will work best to quickly and effectively treat your symptoms. From a full occlusal guard to an NTI, we can describe each option and show you examples, helping you to make the best decision possible.
Follow Up Appointments in Irvine:
No matter what route you choose for treatment, follow up visits and close monitoring of your progress may be necessary while your muscles relax and your body heals. Dr. Jeffrey Robertson will let you know what type of follow up care is appropriate for you.
Many of our patients report outstanding results with our TMJ treatment because they get effective relief from their pain quickly and non-invasively. Call our office to schedule your evaluation!
