Do you wake up with a sore jaw? Do you get headaches that seem to start near your ears? Have you ever heard a clicking or popping sound when you open your mouth wide? You might have a TMJ problem.
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. That’s the fancy name for your jaw joints, the two hinges that connect your lower jaw to your skull. They’re right in front of your ears. And when something goes wrong with them, the pain can show up in places you’d never expect.
Common TMJ Symptoms You Might Be Ignoring
Many people don’t realize their headaches come from their jaw. Here’s what to watch for:
- Jaw pain or tenderness, especially when you chew
- Popping, clicking, or grinding sounds when you open or close your mouth
- Headaches that feel like tension headaches or even migraines
- Ear pain, ringing in the ears, or a feeling of fullness
- Pain in your face, neck, or shoulders
- Jaw getting stuck or locked open or closed
- Teeth that feel like they don’t fit together right
If any of that sounds familiar, your jaw joint could be the root of the problem.
What Causes TMJ Disorders?
There’s usually not just one cause. For most people, it’s a combination of things.
- Clenching or grinding your teeth is a big one. A lot of people do it at night without even knowing. Others clench during the day when they’re stressed or concentrating.
- An uneven bite can also trigger TMJ pain. If your teeth don’t meet the way they should, your jaw muscles have to work harder to bring them together. Over time, that extra work leads to pain and fatigue in the joint.
- Arthritis can affect the jaw joint just like it affects knees or hips. An injury to the jaw or face can also cause problems, even years later.
How We Diagnose TMJ Problems At Brookwood Dental Associates
At our Lansdale office, we don’t guess. We use a cone beam CT scanner to get a clear look at your jaw joints, teeth, and surrounding bone.
This special scanner creates a 3D image of your entire facial structure. We can see exactly how your jaw joints are positioned, whether there’s any damage, and how your teeth line up. It’s painless, fast, and gives us the information we need to make the right treatment plan.
Treatment Options That Actually Help
The good news is that most TMJ problems get better without surgery. We usually start with the simplest, least invasive options.
A custom oral appliance is often the first step. It’s a mouthguard-like device that you wear at night, or sometimes during the day, to keep your jaw in a relaxed position. It often reduces grinding and takes pressure off the joint.
We might also recommend physical therapy exercises for your jaw muscles, heat and ice therapy, or changes to what you eat (soft foods for a while, nothing chewy or crunchy).
In some cases, we may adjust how your teeth fit together with minor reshaping. For more advanced problems, other dental treatments like crowns or orthodontics could help correct your bite.
Don’t Just Live With The Pain
A lot of people assume jaw pain or headaches are just something they have to deal with. That’s not true.
If you’ve been suffering with any of these symptoms, come see us at Brookwood Dental Associates. We’ll listen to what’s going on, take a close look with our cone beam CT scanner, and put together a plan that actually helps.
Call us at 267-651-7247 or request an appointment online. Your jaw, and your head, will thank you.