TMJ/TMD Treatment in Wilmington, MA
Here at Wilmington Dental Studio, we strive to provide you and your family with the very best dental care in Wilmington and the surrounding area.
To speak, swallow, chew, or make any facial expression is crucial to our everyday existence. The temporomandibular joints and our jaw muscles, also called TMJ, are involved with making all the before noted actions. You will find these joints on either side of your head in front of your ears, and they are what makes the opening and closing of your mouth a real motion to achieve. The TMJ near me conducts your movement of the lower jaw, which is called your mandible, as it moves forward, backward, side to side, and up and down.
When this intricate group of ligaments, muscles, bones, and discs confronts some obstacle that keeps it from working the way it is supposed to, it can lead you to have discomfort and pain in the form of the TMJ disorder, or also called temporomandibular disorder, TMD.
The pain that comes with this is most usually described as an aching, dull pain that will go and come in your jaw joint and the surrounding area on your face. Most research that is up to date is that sometimes it can become incapacitating and experienced in other parts of your body that have their beginnings in pathology at your highest levels of the central nervous system and the brain. The mind is a powerful thing!
Symptoms you may encounter with TMD:
- Shoulder and neck pain
- Limited range of movement or locking jaw
- Chronic headaches
- Popping, grating, painful clicking of the jaw when you are closing or opening your mouth
- Dizziness
- Stiffness, jaw muscle pain
- Vision problems
- A bite that does not feel right
- Ear pressure, fullness, pain
Possible Causes:
- Infections
- Dislocation
- Arthritis
- Autoimmune disorders
- Jaw & tooth alignment
- Stress & teeth grinding
- Injury
Treatments are usually based on specific symptoms and can include:
- Bridge and crown work
- Relaxation and exercises for strengthening jaw muscles
- Mouthguard at night or a bite plate
- Injections for facial aesthetics that numb nerves which can cause muscle contractions
- Steroid Injections
- Avoiding gum, eating softer foods
- Orthodontics to change your bite
- Medications for relaxation or inflammation
- Anti-inflammatory meds or heat packs – short-term relief
As the patient, you should educate yourself about TMD/TMJ. If you are knowledgeable about your problem, then it will be easier for you to discuss with your Dentist to make informed decisions.
Affordable TMJ/TMD Treatments in Wilmington, MA
Here at Wilmington Dental Studio, we will be glad to work with you to determine if your insurance will cover the treatments used for TMD/TMJ and evaluate the most affordable relief options for TMD treatment for you. A bonus point is for you to avail services in surrounding locations of Burlington, Billerica, Reading, Tewksbury, Andover, Woburn, Stoneham, and Wakefield. Visit today!