TMJ Treatment Options for Alleviating Your Discomfort

There are several types of TMJ treatments, however, TMJ is not the easiest disorder to diagnose, especially when people are at home and find themselves in pain. When you have typical symptoms that include popping of the jaw or difficulty opening your mouth, you should see a dentist so that we can help you to diagnose TMJ. It can take the experience of a professional to connect your symptoms to TMJ. This is because the disorder can manifest itself in a variety of different ways, including things that would not normally be associated with temporomandibular pain. These symptoms can include random tooth pain, aches in the neck, and even an ongoing headache. People who suffer from reoccurring migraine headaches have also been diagnosed with TMJ, so there really is no single set of diagnosis that can point to a patient having TMJ. 

Similarly, treating TMJ has a variety of different methodologies, requiring a step by step approach. The simplest treatment involves an exercise that causes relief from the symptoms. Some also find relief with gentle message. In our dental office, we find the greatest success in treating TMJ with a removable oral appliance.  We create these appliances out of plastic after an impression has been taken of the mouth.  They look like a full retainer and when worn, prevent the upper and lower teeth from touching.  This eliminates nighttime grinding and clenching, thereby preventing a common trigger for TMJ.  As a result, symptoms are often reduced or eliminated.

If this does not work, we may eventually suggest surgical remedies that may require a hospital stay and take several months to be effective. Given the intensity of these procedures, we always recommend this as the last resort after our non-invasive TMJ treatment has been tried.  There are several types of arthroplasty that is used to repair defects that lead to TMJ. These mostly are focused on the disc which can become damaged or move out of place, leading to the severe pain. 

Surgeries involving joints have become relatively commonplace in America today. Many people choose to have their knees surgically repaired or even have hips replaced when they are no longer able to treat these joints with physical therapy or other means. Similarly, if non-invasive options, for treating your TMJ, haven't worked, we will consider arthroscopic surgery to correct the problem. Using arthroscopic surgery means there will be virtually no scarring from a minimalistic incision. 

The first surgery that may be proposed is a disc repositioning surgery, which moves a slipped disc back to its original position. A slipped disc can cause severe TMJ because when the disc slips it puts a lot of pressure and pinches the nerves that are connected to the temporomandibular joint. This brief surgical procedure can relieve the pressure by moving the disc off the nerves and take away the symptoms of TMJ. If this does not work then there is a second, more invasive procedure that can be performed.  Still, we always recommend starting with an oral appliance as the non-invasive TMJ treatment option. 

Learn What to Expect After Getting a Dental Implant

Recovering from dental implant surgery takes a little time and following a few simple steps. First, it is important to realize that despite it being minor, dental implant surgery is in fact surgery. As a patient, you will be placed under anesthesia, which means you will need a certain amount of time to get over its effects before you are able to drive. We recommend that you bring along a designated driver if you want to return home immediately after the surgery as we cannot allow a patient to drive until they are fully out from under the influence of the anesthesia. When you leave you will have a packet of information that guides you through the steps to a quick recovery, which we would like for you to read and follow. 

Dental implants, once in place, are the best replacement to naturally occurring teeth. To get them to be strong and well rooted requires the skill of an expert dentist, oral surgeon or an orthodontist. For your part, recovery is a very important element. Recovery starts with understanding that there is a certain time commitment that will need to be made in order for your body to start the healing process. For the first few days, we recommend staying away from strenuous activities, like lifting heavy objects, and taking as much rest as possible. We also strongly advise eating soft foods like pudding, yogurt, and rice in order to prevent the site from becoming even more irritated. 

As with any surgery, the greatest risk to a dental implant is that of infection. Infections can be introduced by any number of sources, often from that patient themselves. As such we strongly advise not touching the site of the implant with your fingers until it is completely healed. The fingers may transmit germs and bacteria to the mouth, which could then lead to an infection. In order to offset the chance of an infection, we will be giving you a prescription for antibiotics. Typically the treatment of antibiotics is a precautionary measure which will start the day after the surgery and often runs a course of several days. If you are prescribed antibiotics you will need to make sure to fill the prescription in a timely fashion and complete the entire course. Antibiotics can be harsh on the system, so you will need to take the medication with meals or include a glass of milk when taking the pills. 

Another tool that we will give you to fight infection is a medicated rinse. This oral rinse helps to fight infection by keeping the site clean and disinfected. You can also combine this with salt rinses, another home remedy for disinfection. Rinsing three or four times per day can help fight an infection before it begins. You will want to start your normal oral health routine the night after the surgery, but should avoid brushing the dental implant, until the stitches are removed. This makes using the rinse more important since it is the only way to clean the surgical site.  We may want you to return for a follow-up appointment to ensure that you are healing properly and if so you will be able to eat all of your favorite foods and brush like normal.