Temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ is estimated to affect more than 10 million Americans. It can impact your ability to chew, your sleep, and the alignment of your bite. And in many cases, it causes debilitating pain and makes it difficult to function each day. At Exceptional Dentistry, our Louisville neuromuscular dentists can diagnose and treat TMJ disorder, using BioPak as one of our preferred treatment methods.
What is disorder?
TMJ disorder is a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the jaw to the skull on either side of the head.
If you develop TMJ disorder, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Pain in the jaws or jaw joints
- Limited range of motion in the jaw
- Lockjaw
- Difficulty or pain when chewing
- Popping or clicking sounds when opening or closing your jaw
- Pain in your teeth or sensitive teeth
- Teeth that are worn, chipped, or cracked
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Fullness in the ears
- Tinnitus
Over time, the effects of the disorder become more widespread. The surrounding musculature and nerves may inflame as blood flow is restricted. If TMJ disorder is not diagnosed, you may start experiencing discomfort or pain that radiates to your head, neck, and back.
Headaches are common for TMJ sufferers
TMJ disorder also can cause headaches that frequently occur, especially first thing in the morning. These headaches often can be mistaken for migraines. If you’ve been diagnosed with migraines but have struggled to find relief, TMJ disorder could be the root cause of your headaches.
TMJ disorder symptoms vary; two people who both suffer from the disorder may experience entirely different sets of issues. For this reason, TMJ disorder represents one of the greatest diagnostic challenges in medical science. We recommend consulting with a neuromuscular dentist for the best treatment outcomes.
The LVI Difference
The best-qualified individual to diagnose and treat TMJ disorder is a neuromuscular dentist. This is a specialized area of dental science that focuses on the alignment of the bite and jaw. Traditional dental school puts little emphasis on neuromuscular dentistry, which typically is only taught in post-graduate education and training.
- A neuromuscular dentist has completed extensive academic work and research. The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) is considered one of the pre-eminent post-graduate dental educational institutions in the world.
- We’re proud that the staff of Exceptional Dentistry includes Dr. Patrick Carroll, who holds the distinction of being the only dentist who is an LVI graduate in the entire state of Kentucky. Dr. Deborah Shoemaker is currently training at the LVI as well.
- At Exceptional Dentistry, we combine the expertise and knowledge of our neuromuscular dentists with technological advancements such as the BioPAK diagnostic system, a technology that tracks and measures your jaw movements, sounds, and patterns to determine joint problems related to TMJ disorder.
Treating TMJ disorder
Just as the symptoms of TMJ disorder can vary so much from patient to patient, treatment is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
We may use several treatments and procedures to relieve your TMJ, such as:
- Equilibration and occlusal adjustments – Gentle reshaping of your teeth so that your bite fits together as it should.
- Occlusal splints – A customized mouthpiece that, when worn at night, gently guides the jaws back into their preferred position while relaxing the surrounding musculature.
- TENS – Standing for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, TENS uses impulses of low-frequency electricity to relax tense or aggravated muscles.
- Pain management – We may prescribe pain medication early in the treatment process to help manage any discomfort, although this is not a long-term treatment.
Our treatment system focuses on the root of your problem, which is the cause of your jaw joint dysfunction, instead of masking your pain. Correcting this functional issue is the only way to relieve your TMJ disorder and its symptoms.
