Temporomandibular Joint disorder otherwise known as “TMD” is a very common condition affecting many adults everyday. TMD sufferers usually report excessive clenching or grinding of their teeth, headaches, and jaw pain.
Bruxism
When a patient reports repeated clenching or teeth grinding we generally identify those symptoms as Bruxism. This can occur during the day but in most cases, patients report night-time bruxism. These long term actions can have a detrimental effect on both the teeth and the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) also known as the Jaw joint. The continuous clenching can wear down the teeth, crack teeth or fillings and in worse cases damage them beyond repair.
The bruxism can also lead to other symptoms such as Tension headaches and Neck pain.
Tension headaches are the most common type of headaches and are also caused by TMD. The sensation is described as a throbbing pain that occurs in a ring around the head. Unfortunately these headaches are often misdiagnosed and treated as migraines due to their frequency and severity.
Solutions
At Dental Square we offer simple solutions to treat TMD, Bruxism and their associated symptoms. We provide removable custom made acrylic splints or night guards which are carefully placed over the top or bottom teeth. This acts to disclude the teeth thus protecting them from wear and at the same time provides relief to the jaw joint (TMJ) throughout the whole night. Through the application of occlusal splints we can offer the simplest, safest and most cost effective way to prevent further damage to both your teeth and TMJ.
Other solutions involve the application of Botulinum Toxin Type-A, a muscle relaxant to the jaw muscles. This application relaxes the muscles of the jaw, minimizing the amount of force the jaw can apply on the joint. The effect of this application is long term relief to the TMJ and the prevention of further damage to both the teeth and joint.
