TMJ Treatment

Causes of TMJ

TMJ disorders develop in kids, teens, and adults for many reasons. You might clench or grind your teeth, oftentimes without you even being aware of it, or while you sleep. Grinding your teeth is called “bruxism” and many people are unaware they do it, as it mostly occurs during sleep. This puts a lot of pressure on the TMJ, and can also cause fillings to become loose and teeth to fracture in some cases. You may have a damaged jaw joint due to an injury or due to a diagnosed disease or medical condition.

Inflammation in the TMJs can develop into additional problems as you strain the muscles in your face, neck, and head.

Injuries and arthritis can damage the joint directly or stretch or tear the muscle ligaments. As a result, the disk in your jaw, which is made of cartilage and functions as the cushion of the jaw joint, can slip out of position and trigger TMJ (sometimes referred to “TMD”). Whatever the cause, the results may include a misaligned bite, pain, clicking, or grating noise when you open your mouth, or trouble opening your mouth wide in addition to pain.

The Effects of Inflammation

To summarize, temporomandibular joint disorder (or TMD) is when your temporomandibular joints (TMJ) get inflamed due to a misalignment of your bite, grinding of teeth, external injury, arthritis, medical conditions, or various other causes. The inflammation from the TMJ can develop into additional problems as you strain the muscles in your face, neck, and head, sending pain signals throughout your entire body. TMJ is a very painful condition but can successfully be treated by the best in class dentists at Browne Goetz & Miraglia PC.

Do You Have A TMJ Disorder?

• Are you aware of grinding or clenching your teeth?
• Do you wake up with sore, stiff muscles around your jaws?
• Do you have frequent headaches or neck aches?
• Does the pain get worse when you clench your teeth?
• Does stress make your clenching and pain worse?
• Does your jaw click, pop, grate, catch, or lock when you open your mouth?
• Is it difficult or painful to open your mouth, eat, or yawn?
• Have you ever injured your neck, head, or jaws?
• Have you had problems (such as arthritis) with other joints?
• Do you have teeth that no longer touch when you bite?
• Do your teeth meet differently from time to time?
• Is it hard to use your front teeth to bite or tear food?
• Are your teeth sensitive, loose, broken or worn?

The more times you answered “yes”, the more likely it is that you have a TMJ disorder. Understanding TMJ disorders will also help you understand how they are treated. If you are unsure if you have TMJ the dentists at Browne Goetz & Miraglia PC can properly diagnose you.

Common Symptoms Associated with TMJ

• Headaches
• Earaches
• Ringing in ears (tinnitus)
• Stuffy, congested ears
• Pain behind eyes
• Dizziness
• Limited mouth opening
• Neck, shoulder, back pain or stiffness
• Clicking or grating sounds in TMJ (the joint just in front of the ears)
• Pain or soreness in TM (jaw) joints
• Locking jaw (opened or closed)
• Unexplained teeth or facial pain
• Numbness or tingling in fingers or arms
• Difficulty swallowing

Customized Treatment Plans

There are a number of custom options available at Brown Goetz & Miraglia PC to treat TMJ and bruxism and alleviate discomfort. There are also immediate options available if you are currently in pain.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are suffering from pain associated with TMJ, our doctors can meet with you to discuss our customized treatment plans, and design a solution to help eliminate your pain. To set up a consultation at our office, please call (914) 241-1191​ or contact us online today.