Are you having problems with your jaw?
There are a number of causes of jaw pain but many of them come down, ultimately, to a misalignment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
The way that your teeth fit together is known as your bite.
If your teeth don’t fit together well then you may experience any number of pains, problems and complications as a result.
We’ll detail a few of them in this article.
This misalignment of the jaw is often referred to as TMJ disorder. If you don’t feel that your teeth fit together properly, or if you recognise any of the symptoms detailed in this article, you may need to seek treatment for TMJ disorder.
First, the causes of jaw pain
There are dental conditions, such as cavities of abscesses that could be causing you to feel jaw pain.
Aside from those, TMJ disorder is one of the leading causes of jaw pain.
This relates to problems with the muscles of skeletal structure of the face and jaw.
Naturally, the type of jaw pain treatment you require will vary vastly depending upon the cause of your jaw pain, so the first thing you should do if you are suffering pain in this area is to consult your dentist.
Do I need treatment for TMJ?
Are you experiencing any of the following, without apparent cause?
- Headaches
- Facial pain
- Migraines
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Back pain
Or are you aware of:
- Clenching your jaw
- Grinding your teeth
Particularly at night?
If so then you may require treatment for TMJ disorder.
If you are experiencing migraines or back pain, for example, you may not have considered that the cause could be related to your jaw.
However, a misalignment of the jaw can have many knock on effects.
TMJ disorder can be caused by ill fitting dental work, can be stress related or can simply happen naturally but if it is causing problems for you then it needs to be remedied.
Treatments for TMJ disorder
There are a range of treatments for TMJ disorder available, to treat everything from mild to severe cases. In the most severe cases surgery may be required to realign the jaw.
However, in many cases, we can create a made to measure plastic appliance for you to wear at night.
This will have the effect of correctly aligning your bite and stopping you from grinding your teeth – a common symptom of TMJ.
There are treatments in between these options as well and it’s impossible for us to say what you need until we’ve seen you, so if you think you might need treatment for jaw pain or TMJ make an appointment for a consultation.
We will be happy to help and advise.
