TMJ/TMD Treatment Appliances

TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. This is a hinge joint, and it connects the mandible (your lower jaw) to the temporal bone of the skull. This bone is located right in front of your ear, on both sides of the head. Being a hinge joint, it is flexible and facilitates the movement of the jaw from side to side, as well as up and down. Whenever you are chewing food, speaking or yawning, it is this joint that is moving. The muscles which are attached to this joint, as well as those that surround it control the movement of the jaw and its positioning.

When the muscles or the nerves in this joint are injured in any way, the result could be TMJ syndrome, TMJ dysfunction or TMD. Not only can your internal structures cause this dysfunction, but also the alignment of your teeth as well as stress that you endure that causes grinding or clenching.

TMJ/TMD is not something that you should self-diagnose and self-treat. Once you believe that you may have some of the symptoms, you should get in touch with your dentist.

To reach an adequate diagnosis, the dentist may also for imaging tests, including an MRI or CT scan. These are usually preceded by a panoramic X-ray. The X-ray is done first to ensure the problems are not caused by any other issues. The MRI is for observation of the soft tissue around the joint, whereas the CT scan looks at the details of the bones in the joint.

One way to treat TMD patients is to have a night guard made. This guard allows your jaw to rest at night in the proper position to alleviate pain that your bite and/or clenching and grinding habits may have caused.

There are other ways to help alleviate pain from TMD, these can be discussed with your dentist on a case by case basis.