TMJ Treatment

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TMJ Solutions

TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) disorder can cause pain, discomfort, and limited jaw movement, significantly impacting one's quality of life. If you're experiencing TMJ symptoms, seeking timely and appropriate treatment is essential for relieving pain and restoring normal jaw function. The Chattanooga Sleep Center offers comprehensive care and effective TMJ treatment options to help you find relief and improve your oral health.

Common TMJ Treatment Options at the Chattanooga Sleep Center:

Medications: Pain Relievers: Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can help alleviate mild to moderate TMJ pain and reduce inflammation. Muscle Relaxants: Prescription muscle relaxants can be used to ease muscle tension and reduce jaw clenching or grinding, which can contribute to TMJ symptoms.

Orthotic Therapy: Custom-fitted oral orthotic appliances, can help alleviate TMJ symptoms by providing support to the jaw joint, reducing clenching or grinding, and improving jaw alignment.

Physical Therapy: The Chattanooga Sleep Center offers specialized jaw exercises and physical therapy programs that focus on strengthening the jaw muscles, improving flexibility, and promoting proper jaw alignment.

Lifestyle Modifications: Stress Management: Stress can exacerbate TMJ symptoms. Learning relaxation techniques, practicing stress management, and seeking therapy or counseling can help reduce stress levels and minimize jaw clenching or grinding.

Dietary Changes: Certain foods may aggravate TMJ symptoms. Your TMJ specialist can provide guidance on dietary modifications, such as avoiding hard or chewy foods, that can help alleviate discomfort.

Some people live with temporomandibular (jaw) joint pain throughout their lives and fail to realize the cause of their discomfort. Many of the people who come to the Chattanooga Sleep Center have already seen other doctors or dentists about their TMJ/TMD problem but have not found relief. Some have seen many doctors and may be undergoing multiple treatments to try to control their symptoms.

If you are in Chattanooga and need a dentist who treats TMJ/TMD issues with help from reliable neuromuscular diagnostics, please contact the Chattanooga Sleep Center online or call us directly at (423) 264-2300 to book an appointment with Dr. Kent White.

Find TMJ Relief Today

TWO KEY QUESTIONS

TMJ Treatment

If the teeth, face muscles, and jaw joints are not in harmonious balance, people develop painful complications. These are known as temporomandibular disorders, and can cause severe head, neck, and back pain. Our neuromuscular approach to dentistry seeks to restore oral harmony and put an end to TMJ pain. When you think you might be ready to explore our unique treatments, ask yourself these two questions:

QUESTION #1:

Do you have regular face, head or neck pain, discomfort, spasms or fatigue?

QUESTION #2:

Are you considering restorative or aesthetic/cosmetic dentistry?

Some TMJ problems develop during infancy. Others develop during childhood when tooth formation and jaw alignment are still happening. Still other TMJ problems may develop as a result of physical trauma or because teeth wear down over time.

Unfortunately, TMJ problems also can surface after previous restorative or aesthetic procedures were completed without determining the jaw’s proper posture. Denture patients often develop TMJ because their dentures are not accurately replacing their lost teeth.

Although a complete smile makeover is one solution, our Chattanooga dentist always opts for a conservative treatment strategy whenever possible. Our Chattanooga dentist might choose to fit a patient with a custom orthotic appliance designed to correct teeth and jaw posture. By holding your jaw in a better resting position, the orthotic helps your muscles relax, reduces pressure on your jaw joints, nerves, and other structures. This can reduce or eliminate TMJ symptoms over time. You might begin by wearing your orthotic all day, then switch to wearing it only at night.

If you like the results of the orthotic, but don’t like wearing the orthotic, we can talk about using restorations to establish a permanently healthy bite.

If you are in Chattanooga and need a dentist who treats TMJ/TMD issues with help from reliable neuromuscular diagnostics, please contact the Chattanooga Sleep Center online or call us directly at (423) 264-2300 to book an appointment with Dr. Kent White.

Frequently Asked Questions

Determining the root cause of a person’s pain can be like solving a puzzle. Here are some of the symptoms we look for to determine whether a patient might be suffering from TMJ/TMD:

Headaches
Sensitive or sore teeth
Facial pain
Neck and shoulder aches
Jaw joint clicking or popping
Ear congestion
Worn down teeth/grinding
Clenching/bruxism
Limited opening of the mouth
Neck problems
Loose teeth
Tingling in the fingertips
Forward head posturing
Mouth breathing
Tongue thrusts
Open bites
Family History or Genetics

Many people who have TMJ may also develop airway problems, which might include snoring or sleep apnea.

Yes, self-care measures can help alleviate TMJ symptoms. These may include:

Practicing stress management techniques,

Avoiding hard and chewy foods,

Applying heat or cold packs to the affected area

Performing gentle jaw exercises as recommended by a healthcare professional.

Yes, TMJ disorder can affect sleep quality. The pain and discomfort associated with TMJ can make it challenging to fall asleep or stay asleep, leading to sleep disturbances and daytime fatigue. Addressing TMJ-related concerns through proper treatment can help improve sleep quality.

The timeline for improvement with TMJ treatment varies from person to person. It depends on the severity of the condition, the chosen treatment approach, and individual factors. Some individuals may experience relief from symptoms within a few weeks or months, while others may require longer-term management.

Dr Kent White | (423) 264-2300 | 1032 McCallie Ave #300A, Chattanooga, TN 374031 | info@chattsleep.com

Dr. Daniel R. Smith | (423) 693-2800 | 1032 McCallie Ave #300, Chattanooga, TN 374031 | info@chattsleep.com

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