Do you wake up every morning with headaches or jaw and neck pain? Does it hurt when you open your mouth wide, or do you notice popping or clicking sounds?
All these symptoms indicate a problem with your jaw joint or TMJ. These symptoms can make you miserable and rob you of high quality of life. But your Novato family dentist customizes a simple oral device that relieves pressure on the TMJ.
What Is TMJ?
Your TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is a hinge joint that attaches your lower jaw to your upper jaw. It controls the up and down and side to side movement of your jaw.
Like any other joint in your body, the TMJ can show up in signs of overuse in the form of head, neck, face, or jaw pain. In many cases, the cause is an unbalanced dental bite that puts excessive force on one side of your jaw.
The clicking or popping sound many people here is the sound of the joint breaking down. Without treatment, the cartilage in the joint becomes malformed due to prolonged overuse. Another of the common TMJ symptoms is ear congestion or ringing in the ears.
How We Treat TMJ Problems
The name for disorders associated with the jaw joint
Treating TMD may be as straightforward as wearing a night guard customized by your Novato family dentist. The guard prevents teeth clenching and grinding that can result from an unbalanced dental bite and allows the TMJ to rest and recover.
Please Call to Arrange an Appointment
The symptoms of TMJ problems are different for everyone, so we customize your treatment to fit your needs. If you want to relieve TMJ pain, please call us to arrange a consultation with our TMJ dentist.
Chronic TMJ pain does not have to take over your life. Call us so we can help.