Overcome Jaw Pain and Headaches with TMJ Pain Treatment
Do you have constant headaches or unexplained pain in your jaw or facial area? Do your jaws click whenever you open or close your mouth? Have you been to doctors multiple times without finding relief? If so, you could be one of the millions of Americans with TMJ pain, a condition that affects the two hinge-like joints on both sides of the face. With years of experience and training, Sonoma Smiles can help detect and identify many problems you may not realize are related to your teeth and bite.
Are you interested in TMJ pain treatment in Rohnert Park, California? Reclaim your healthy, pain-free smile by scheduling an appointment with Dr. Wayne Sutton and his team. We use minimally invasive yet effective treatments to manage TMJ pain and other related disorders.
What is TMJ pain?
When thinking about joints in your body, the knee, shoulder, hip, and other major joints responsible for mobility come to mind first. However, there’s one joint that often goes unnoticed despite its vital role in daily life—the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
The TMJ is a small but incredibly important joint located on each side of your jaw, connecting your lower jawbone (mandible) to your skull. Although you may not realize it, the TMJ can move up and down, side to side, and forward and backward to help in daily activities like chewing, speaking, yawning, and even breathing.
Due to its small size and tendency to be overlooked, the importance of the TMJ is often underestimated until issues arise. Strained, infected, or injured TMJs can lead to various unpleasant symptoms. Some include:
- Jaw pain or soreness
- Headaches
- Difficulty chewing
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Lockjaw
- Neck or back pain
- Clicking or popping sounds when using your jaws
What does TMJ pain treatment include?
Your treatment starts with a diagnosis, which examines your joint’s range of motion and the presence of grating signs. The dentist may also use dental imaging tools—dental X-rays and CT scans—to examine any structural abnormalities.
When we diagnose you with TMJ pain, treatment isn’t as invasive as you might think. Our dentist uses a custom-fitted device as the first line of TMJ pain treatment. A TMJ device creates a barrier between your teeth, reducing teeth-grinding forces that cause jaw pain. Over time, wearing a TMJ device allows your jaw joints and muscles to relax, reducing undesirable symptoms.
Depending on the cause of your TMJ pain, the dentist may also recommend orthodontics, jaw rehabilitation, muscle relaxants, and medications. There is never a one-size-fits-all treatment for TMJ pain. Our team will use a comprehensive approach to help you live without pain.
Are you interested in TMJ pain treatment?
TMJ pain is a chronic oral condition that takes years to develop and worsens with age. However, our advanced diagnostics and treatments will provide relief, even if mainstream doctors haven’t helped you. Has TMJ pain gotten the better of you? Call (707) 585-2555 to schedule an appointment with Sonoma Smiles for TMJ pain treatment.
