TMD (TMJ) Specialist in Greenville, SC
Many people in Greenville search for a TMJ Specialist because they suffer from recurring headaches as well as facial & neck pain due to Temporomandibular Disorders, or TMD. The Temporomandibular joints (TMJ) join the skull and the mandible (lower jawbone). The amount of use these joints endure, structural and other dental issues such as bite problems (malocclusion) can cause many uncomfortable and even restrictive symptoms. To accurately diagnose TMD, look to Greenville Dr. Lindner, a TMJ Dentist in Greenville obtains a patient’s history and performs a special clinical examination that includes: A head and neck muscle examination, An evaluation of the movements of the jaw, An evaluation of the TMJ joints. An MRI may be required in certain situations to ascertain the structural integrity of the Temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and disc assembly.
What are the symptoms of TMD?
- Locked jaw.(TMJ)
- Jaw pain
- TMJ pain
- Inability to fully open mouth.
- Facial Swelling.
- Frequent neck & headaches (even migraines).
- Stuffiness, ringing, or pain in the ear canal.
- Pain in the face, neck, or jaw.(TMJ)
- TMJ Jaw related muscle spasms.
- Popping or clicking in the jaw.(TMJ)
- Loose teeth.
- Severe tooth pain
- Changing tooth alignment.
- Grinding of the teeth.
- Referred pain to teeth, eyes, or ears
- Ringing in ears
- Muscle tension
What does a TMJ Specialist do?
A TMJ specialist will check and diagnose the current condition of your joints and bite (occlusion). A comprehensive examination along with an MRI will be done. At Create Dental Harmony, Dr. Leor Lindner strives to provide you with an overall picture of your joint health and address any dental, muscle or jaw issues that may be troubling you.
What Medical Specialists treat TMJ?
A team approach is critical for correct treatment. On the forefront, the quarterback of tmd diagnosis is a TMJ trained dentist who has extensive post doctoral training in temporomandibularlar disorders such as a fellowship or residency. Other players include an ENT doctor, Oral surgeon familiar with joint surgery, Orthodontist who understands advanced joint occlusion, Chiropractor and physical therapist.
TMD & TMJ Disorder Treatment in Greenville
At Create Dental Harmony in Greenville, correcting dental bite problems (malocclusion) is very important to protect the longevity of your teeth and TMJ’s. The treatment may include orthodontics, occlusal splint, bite balancing (reshaping the teeth) or the restoration of the biting surfaces with crowns or transitional bondings (fillings)
How does TMJ Disease Occur?
Let’s start with a little background on dental medicine and TMJ anatomy, the teeth are situated in the jaw and are surrounded by muscles. In the joint on the head of the condyle is a fibrocartilage disc. This fibrous cushion is similar to other joints in the body as it helps protect the bone that articulate in the socket.
There is a ligament that is attached to the fibrous cushion that is also attached to the superior head of the medial pterygoid muscle of the jaw, so if there is a imbalance in the bite or a discrepancy to closure the disc will be pulled out of position.
So during the day there is a section in your brain which is in charge of GPS and basically it tells the muscles of the jaw to move in a direction to avoid the offending tooth that hits first when the jaw closes or during chewing. This is analogous to when your driving your car and you see an upcoming pothole, you automatically swerve the car to avoid it. This movement subluxates the jaw away from it’s normal position thus stretching the muscles and ligaments and tugging on the fibrous cushion.
At night however this GPS turns off and basically the natural tendencies is to clench or grind the offending tooth down so the teeth close evenly, touching at the same time. This doesn’t usually occur quickly, it continues for a long time. Sometimes it results in a sensitive,fractured tooth, filling,crown or a loose tooth
Over longer periods of time, the fibrous cushion gets pulled away and you begin to hear the clicking or popping sound when you open up. This is the disc recapturing its position meaning it get stuck in front of the condyle and then gets back on. As time progresses , we know degeneration and thinning of the fibrous cushion occurs until invariably tearing. Once the fibrous cushion tears, the fibrous cushion can get stuck in front of the condyle or on the side resulting in different levels of pain.
The muscles throughout this entire process tend to become very sore and spastic due to the lactic acid buildup from the extended state of contraction.
Many other factors can affect the joint like arthritis, genetics, early trauma or accidents during the growth phase of the condyle.
It is therefore necessary to get a TMJ- MRI in order to determine the extent of damage in the condyle-disc assembly. TMJ-MRI’s today are considered the standard of care for TMJ diagnosis. If severe damage is detected, we will refer the patient to oral and maxillofacial surgeons Dr. Mark Piper and Dr. Brian S. Shaw at the Piper clinic in St. Petersburg Florida who are world-renowned TMJ surgeons. Less than 5 % of all TMJ cases result in surgery. Sometimes we can design a custom appliance to help balance the occlusion or bite to help relieve the muscle pain or soreness.
I believe the key to avoiding Temporomandibular Joint disease is through early detection of an irregular, unbalanced bite. This can only be found by the restorative dentist who takes careful comprehensive records of the patient to evaluate the bite. There are no shortcuts to this process.
How to get rid of jaw pain:
Things that make TMJ go away
TMJ disorders are a collection of problems surrounding the joints of your jaw. In some cases, these symptoms also include toothaches and an inability to open and close your mouth properly. The main cause of a TMJ disorder is missing or damaged cartilage in the joint itself. Other causes include dental procedures, such as having a tooth pulled or an implant placed, or head trauma that misaligns facial bones.
The good news is you can treat your TMJ disorder with the help of a dentist. Treatments include nighttime mouth guards, physical therapy for tmj near me and perhaps even surgery known as arthroscopy. Surgery is often used for treating TMJ disorders only as a last resort after non-invasive treatments have proven ineffective
In some cases, these symptoms also include toothaches and an inability to open and close your mouth properly.
If you are experiencing TMJ symptoms, it’s important to see your dentist. Your dentist can examine your mouth and determine if there is a misalignment of the jaw (malocclusion) that is causing the problem.
If a malocclusion is present, your dentist can refer you to an orthodontist who specializes in correcting such issues. Sometimes your wisdom teeth prevent your jaw from closing correctly.If no malocclusion exists and there are no signs of joint disease, your dentist may prescribe medications or physical therapy that can help relieve pain and discomfort.
The main cause of the joint disease is missing or damaged cartilage in the joint itself. When you chew, the facial muscles around your jaw move against each other and help make sure that your teeth don't come together on one or both sides. But if there's no cushion between those muscles, they can get stuck when they try to move past each other. This causes pain in the joint and makes it difficult for you to open or close your mouth.
The main cause of TMD disorders is missing or damaged cartilage in the joint itself. Cartilage is a tissue that covers the ends of bones and acts as a cushion between bones and helps joints move smoothly. It's flexible and has no blood vessels, so it doesn't heal well when injured by trauma or inflammation (like arthritis).
As we age, our bodies produce less of this protective material which can lead to problems with movement within the joint itself over time too - especially if we have had previous injuries!
Other causes include dental procedures, such as having a tooth pulled or an implant placed or head trauma that misaligned facial bones.
Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that causes sharp shooting pain, often described as an electric shock, that goes to one of these areas. The pain is typically short, and these unpredictable attacks can last a few seconds to a few minutes.
In addition to a painful jaw and clicking sounds when you chew or open your mouth, joint disease are a collection of problems surrounding the joints of your jaw. There are two joints at the back of your mouth (mandibular joint) and one in front (maxillary joint). These can become inflamed due to:
- Inflammation from infection
- Trauma to the muscle and ligament surrounding these areas
- Tension from clenching or grinding teeth
The good news is you can treat your joint disorder with the help of a dentist.
A Dr. Lindner will determine your oral health by examining your mouth and painful jaw, and look for teeth clenching , bite problems, gum disease, or any other reasons that may be causing your symptoms of facial pain. They will also check your oral health for signs of stress on your teeth and gums caused by clenching or grinding.
The tmj specialist near me may recommend different treatments depending on what’s causing your pain: Pain medication like ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) are good for temporomandibular joint disorders. These drugs reduce inflammation in the body as well as pain. They are available over-the-counter at most pharmacies or grocery stores without a prescription from your doctor.* If you have frequent headaches with no known cause—such as migraines—your doctor may prescribe headache medicines such as sumatriptan (Imitrex), zolmitriptan (Zomig), divalproex sodium (Depakote), amitriptyline hydrochloride (Elavil), nortriptyline hydrochloride (Pamelor) or venlafaxine hydrochloride (Effexor XR).
These drugs target specific neurotransmitters in the brain to relieve symptoms of chronic daily headaches such as throbbing sensations behind the eyes.* Some patients find relief from relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing exercises when they feel tension building up around their jaw joints.*
Other options include exercises designed specifically for people who suffer from TMJ/TMD conditions; these exercises help strengthen muscles around the face area that can improve posture and ease muscle tension caused by clenching/grinding habits.* Surgery may be necessary if other methods fail, but carries significant risks including bleeding during surgery which could result in permanent damage such as memory loss due
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder. A Sleep apnea dentist helps treat this potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is often linked to causes of jaw pain from bruxism. It can cause a muscle disorder on one or both sides of the face. If you experience pain or have other symptoms like nasal congestion or bleeding sores in your sinus cavities it may be an immediate concern. Seek out a sleep apnea dentist for immediate treatment and a sleep study.
Treatments include nighttime mouth guards (prevent tooth grinding)
- Treatment options, such as Botox injections help to relax the muscles.
- Nighttime mouth guards: These devices can be custom-made by dentists or ordered over the counter. They are worn at night while you sleep to keep your jaw in alignment.
- Stress management
Many people find that physical therapy helps reduce TMJ symptoms, especially those who have muscle spasms in jaw muscles or other pain from clenching their teeth during sleep. A hot or cold compress on your face helps remove lactic acid buildup. A physical therapist can also teach you exercises to help relax your jaw muscles and strengthen them so they don't clench on their own again after treatment ends.
Surgery is often used as a last resort after non-invasive treatments have proven ineffective.
- Pain medications if your jaw pain from headaches and toothaches.
- Oral appliances are designed to reduce sensitive teeth and pressure on your jaw joints. They can also help with opening and closing your mouth, chewing food, and talking or singing, and preventing teeth grinding.
- Physical therapy with therapeutic massage and gentle exercises that stretch and relax muscles around your jaw pain.
- Surgical intervention (also known as orthognathic surgery) in which the upper or lower jaw is repositioned so that it fits correctly in the bones around it.
Surgical intervention.
Surgery from a dentist or healthcare provider is often used for treating TMJ disease and jaw pain only as a last resort after non-invasive treatments have proven ineffective.
Surgery is a last resort because it may not be effective, and it can be expensive and not covered by insurance. Many people are turned off from the idea of dental surgery because they don't want any more invasive procedures in their lifetime, and some are afraid that they will not recover fully from a surgical procedure.
While certain lifestyle changes can help reduce symptoms of TMJ and relieve pain, neuromuscular dentistry in sc are not always effective in eliminating the condition entirely, however Dental and Craniofacial Research has shown less than five percent of all cases require surgery.
An abscessed tooth or infection can add one-sided jaw pain
Infections can develop when teeth are broken down by bacteria. The infections can cause pain and soreness to the jaw and mouth by causing swelling the gums.
There are a number of lifestyle changes that can help reduce symptoms of TMJ and relieve jaw pain, but they are not always effective in eliminating the condition entirely.
- Avoid things that cause further irritation or pain to your jaw areas, such as chewing gum and hard candy.
- Avoid foods that you know cause you discomfort (such as hard candies, popcorn, and chips).
- Stopping smoking for obvious reasons: it makes your mouth dry which can lead to more frequent headaches.
- Pain relievers and anti-inflammatories are often helpful. to stop jaw clenching.
- Stick to a diet of soft foods that don't require a lot of chewing or teeth grinding
- In addition, your dentist may also prescribe muscle relaxers that can help reduce muscle tension in the jaw.
- Steer clear of sticky or chewy food. Avoid chewing gum.
For more information on TMD Dentist & TMJ Specialist Treatment in Greenville, South Carolina call us at 864-233-4166 or to schedule your Greenville TMJ- New Patient Experience.
