TMJ DISORDERS

TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint - the two joints located on each side of your jaw.  These are no ordinary joints.  They are unique structures with important jobs.  Every time you open your mouth to talk, eat, smile, kiss, to express yourself...you are using them.

TMJ pain can become overwhelming, constantly affecting your life.  We understand how that makes life miserable.  While everyone experiences different symptoms, some of the more common ones include:

 

  • Pain in the jaw joint, in the face, in the teeth, in or around the ears, in the eyes, in the neck, forehead and back.  Almost every part of the head and neck can hurt when you have a TMJ disorder.
  • Severe, recurring headaches.
  • Clicking, popping or grating sound in the jaw joint(s).
  • Limited jaw opening or locking as well as difficulty in closing your teeth together.
  • Ringing in the ear, dizziness and occasional hearing loss.
  • Earaches or congestion.
  • Pain above and behind the eye.
  • Neck pain or stiffness and/or throat pain.

Many factors can lead to or aggravate a TMJ disorder.  Trauma (such as a car accident, fall or blow), muscular imbalances, malocclusions, clenching or grinding your teeth, inherited facial structure or stress can all be factors in your pain.

ADVANCED THERAPIES 

Depending on the severity of your condition, your lifestyle and your desires, Craniofacial Pain Associates will develop a treatment plan that many include:

  • Oral appliance “bite splint” therapy – Customized splints that stabilize your jaw joint and make therapeutic changes in your jaw’s “posture.”
  • Physiotherapy – Treatments to relieve pain, improve flexibility and increase range of motion.
  • Control therapies – Symptoms are controlled by managing the “trigger points” from which your pain can originate.  Innovative nerve block therapy is used to reduce neuralgia and pain.
  • Botox® therapy for TMJ and Headaches
  • Stress reduction & lifestyle modification – Making some simple improvements in the way you take care of yourself cannot only help your condition;  it can make a big impact on your overall health.