Are you concerned about the persistent pain in your jaw joint and the muscles controlling the jaw movement? You confront challenges trying to determine the precise reasons for the discomfort but constantly experience the pain affecting your quality of life. Instead of suffering in silence, wouldn’t you find it beneficial to seek medical attention from professionals providing TMJ treatment near me?
Your temporomandibular joint is the reason for the discomfort you experience. The term may sound confusing, but the joint functions like a sliding hinge connecting your jawbone to your skull. One joint exists on either side of your jaw. If you experience persistent pain in the jaw, you likely are affected by a TMJ disorder causing similar discomfort.
Suppose you are affected by a TMJ disorder. In that case, you will likely have pain or tenderness in the jaw, aching pain in and around the ear, challenges chewing or discomfort when doing so, and may even experience locking the jaw joint, making it challenging for you to open and close your mouth.
TMJ disorders also cause clicking sounds or a grating sensation when opening your mouth or chewing. However, if you don’t experience any pain or confront challenges moving your jaw, you may not need a TMJ disorder treatment.
As mentioned earlier, the precise reasons for developing a TMJ disorder are challenging to determine. The pain you experience could result from many factors such as arthritis, genetics, or jaw injury. Frequently clenching and grinding your teeth is also a reason for TMJ disorders, although not everyone affected by bruxism develops this condition.
Sometimes the pain and discomfort associated with a TMJ disorder disappears by itself and is temporary. The discomfort is relieved with self-managed care and nonsurgical treatments. However, if the discomfort affects your quality of life, visiting TMJ treatment in Magnolia, TX, is an option you must consider, especially if you can’t open or close your jaw entirely.
The temporomandibular joint is a combination of a hinge action having sliding motions. The pieces of the bone interacting with the joints have cartilage covering them but separated with a tiny shock-absorbing disk helping to keep the movement smooth. You can develop painful TMJ disorders when the disk moves out of its correct alignment because of erosion, arthritis, or any other impact that damages the joint’s cartilage. Unfortunately, the reasons for TMJ disorders aren’t clear even within the medical fraternity.
There are various risk factors associated with TMJ disorders. Some of them include different types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, jaw injury, chronic grinding and clenching of your teeth, and some connective tissue infections causing problems affecting the temporomandibular joint.
Instead of trying to ascertain the reasons for your condition yourself, why not visit TMJ treatment near Magnolia, TX, to determine whether TMJ disorder affects you and get the necessary treatment for relief?
The dentist from TMJ treatment near Magnolia will discuss the symptoms and examine your jaw. They will listen to and feel your jaw when you open and close your mouth. An observation of the range of motion in your jaw is also made while pressing on areas around the jaw to identify pain and discomfort sites.
If the dentist suspects any issue, they recommend x-rays of your teeth and jaw, CT scans to view detailed images of the bones involved in your jaw joint, and MRI scans to view problems with the joints disk and surrounding soft tissue.
In some cases, the disorder goes away without treatment. However, if your symptoms persist, the dentist recommends various treatment options, often combining them for best relief.
Dentists generally recommend nonsurgical treatments with pain relievers and anti-inflammatories, either over-the-counter or prescription. Tricyclic antidepressants are also recommended in low doses to control bruxism and sleeplessness. Muscle relaxants also help when used for short periods to relieve pain from TMJ disorders caused by muscle spasms.
Various other lifestyle or home remedies are also recommended by dentists, along with an occlusal splint requiring you to wear a soft or firm device over your teeth. Physical therapy like exercises and counseling also helps treat TMJ disorders providing relief in a couple of months. Although surgery is also available as an option for TMJ disorders is considered a last resort, and most people do not need extensive procedures to treat a TMJ disorder.