TMJ Treatment in Gainesville, FL
Solve Your Chronic Pain in Your Sleep
What is TMJ?
We all have a TMJ located on either side our head. The temporomandibular joint is the hinge joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull. When this joint becomes inflamed due to overuse, misalignment, or other factors, it can cause a myriad of problems.
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What Causes TMJ Disorder?
While we do not know that exact cause of TMJ disorder, or TMD, some contributing factors include:
- Injury or trauma
- Teeth grinding/jaw clenching (Bruxism)
- Arthritis
Stop the Wear and Tear of Nighttime Bruxism with BOTOX®
Treating Your TMJ in Gainesville, FL
The most common cause of TMJ pain is bruxism, or teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Bruxism refers to any forceful contact between your upper and lower teeth, whether it is aggressive grinding or slow and steady clenching. Both of these actions can cause severe wear on your teeth and pain in your jaw. Sometimes, TMJ pain will go away with anti-inflammatory medications, rest, and/or applying a warm or cold compress. If the pain does not subside, you will need to receive treatment. Treatment may include a nightguard to protect your teeth and jaw from nighttime bruxism, or we can even treat your TMJ discomfort with BOTOX®. Since BOTOX® is a muscle relaxer, tension is released from the face and jaw when the solution is placed, alleviating your pain.
Signs of TMJ
- Pain in the jaw, face, neck and shoulders, or ear when you yawn, speak, or chew
- Difficulty opening your mouth widely
- Earaches
- Dizziness
- Toothaches
- Headaches
- Jaw gets “stuck” while open or closed
- Popping, clicking, or grating sounds when opening and closing your mouth, or when chewing
- Swelling on the side of your face
TMJ/TMD
Do you have frequent headaches and problems that don’t quit. If you’re taking over the counter medications for headaches and you find that you fall asleep with a headache and wake up with one, your problem may be more than you know. If they are accompanied by problems in the neck, the shoulders or the jaw, it could be TMD. TMD is also known as temporomandibular joint disorder.
Is TMD the Same as TMJ?
It’s possible that you’ve heard this condition called TMJ. TMJ is nothing more than the temporomandibular joint. It is not descriptive of the pain associated with TMD. TMD is the condition and the pain that is part and parcel of it. In many situations the pain is related to the muscles themselves not the actual joint.
Dr. Parra and Dr. Craighead head up a well-trained and caring team who are experienced in TMJ treatment in Gainesville that may eradicate your TMD issues. This is done with clinical techniques learned in the field of Prosthodontics. The TMJ treatment to be found from your Gainesville Dentist and Specialist could give you freedom from headaches and pain — once and for all!
Our well trained and committed staff have helped numerous Gainesville, Florida patients to eliminate the many side effective that can come with TMD. The treatments received from the dentist Gainesville can help to preclude the pain of headaches caused by the misalignment of jaw and muscle. If tooth position and muscle position are at odds and creating this pain, Drs Craighead and Parra can help with TMJ treatment.
Are There Benefits to Dental Sealants?
Gainesville dentists promote the use of sealants for long term preventive care. The reason is the benefits of using them outweigh the costs associated with them. This includes the following:
- Protection is long lasting. Sealants can last for a decade before they need to be reapplied. Patients receive 10 years of constant prevention against long term tooth decay. This ultimately saves them money they’d experience from expensive treatments should the decay happen.
- Sealants apply in a short period of time. They are applied directly to the teeth in a painless process. Once they’re there, you don’t have to remove them. They continue to protect your teeth as you eat and sleep. Since you can’t simply remove them, you won’t have to worry about losing them in a sink after brushing your teeth, or accidentally throwing them away. That makes them a great choice for even the most forgetful person.
- No one can tell you’re wearing them. Not only do these sealants protect your teeth, but they are unnoticeable. You can have them in your mouth and only you and your Gainesville dentist will know you have them.
TMJ / TMD Treatment
With perfect alignment comes harmony of jaw joints (TMJ) and jaw muscles, resulting in a balanced bite. That means a bite that doesn’t place any stress on the body and cause any real pain to the person who is accustomed to constant pain and headaches. When the proper coordination of teeth, facial muscles and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are disrupted, the consequences are many and require TMJ treatment.
The consequences may include:
• Headaches
• Back or neck pain
• Dizziness
• Postural problems
• Jaw soreness
• Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
Thankfully, non-surgical dentistry has opened the way to relief from symptoms like these, and Drs. Parra and Craighead can offer some measure of relief to the patients they treat for TMD treatment in Gainesville.
The TMD treatments that may be undertaken can help you to alleviate the pain of TMD once and for all. Among the treatments your dentist Gainesville can offer include nightguards that can protect your alignment and can prevent you from grinding your teeth. It may also help to prevent the pain of your TMD.
In addition, BOTOX® is sometimes used as an adjunct treatment for TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint) disorders and associated jaw tension and pain. When Botox is injected into facial muscles afflicted with soreness and discomfort, BOTOX® relieves TMJ and jaw tension for many patients. This may help to alleviate the pain that you’re feeling.
If you’ve been suffering with long term headaches and pain due to TMD or a TMJ disorder, call your dentist in Gainesville to see how we may be able to help you to get rid of the pain once and for all.
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