Month: January 2019

What is TMJ Disorder?

TMJ is short for temporomandibular joint. There’s one on each side, and they attach your jaw to the bottom of your skull. The muscles near them let you to open and close your mouth. But sometimes, the joints get out of line or don’t move as they should. Up to 15% of adults, mostly ages 20 to 40, have it. It happens more in women than in men.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of TMJ disorders may include:

• Pain or tenderness of your jaw
• Pain in one or both of the temporomandibular joints
• Aching pain in and around your ear
• Difficulty chewing or pain while chewing
• Aching facial pain
• Constant teeth grinding
• Locking of the joint, making it difficult to open or close your mouth

TMJ disorders can also cause a clicking sound or grating sensation when you open your mouth or chew. But if there’s no pain or limitation of movement associated with your jaw clicking, you probably don’t need treatment for a TMJ disorder.

Causes

The temporomandibular joint combines a hinge action with sliding motions. The parts of the bones that interact in the joint are covered with cartilage and are separated by a small shock-absorbing disk, which normally keeps the movement smooth.

Painful TMJ disorders can occur if:

• The disk erodes or moves out of its proper alignment
• The joint’s cartilage is damaged by arthritis
• The joint is damaged by a blow or other impact

In many cases, however, the cause of TMJ disorders isn’t clear.

How We Can Help

TMJ can be treated in many ways. At Warm Family Dentistry, you can have the best treatment for TMJ. These are the options:

Medications

Along with other nonsurgical treatments, these medication options may help relieve the pain associated with TMJ disorders:

• Pain relievers and anti-inflammatories
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Muscle relaxants

Therapies

Nondrug therapies for TMJ disorders include:

• Oral splints or mouth guards (occlusal appliances)
• Physical therapy
• Counseling

Surgical or other procedures

When other methods don’t help, your doctor might suggest procedures such as:

• Arthrocentesis
• Injections
• TMJ arthroscopy
• Modified condylotomy
• Open-joint surgery

Your wisdom teeth are kind of like the appendix of your mouth. They’re there, but there’s really no reason for them, and sometimes they can unleash utter havoc upon your body. That’s why so many dentists recommend people undergo a wisdom teeth removal procedure in Salt Lake City, UT, even if their wisdom teeth aren’t causing any problems. Wisdom teeth removal in 84123 isn’t likely to be high on your to-do list if they’re not bothering you. But, depending on how your teeth are situated, they can cause trouble for you and your mouth down the road if you leave them in there.

Why it’s Done?

• It’s Impacted: When wisdom teeth are impacted, they are trapped below your gum line. Impacted wisdom teeth can be very painful and may be prone to abscess and infection. The impact can lead to decay of healthy teeth. On occasion, if wisdom teeth are not monitored properly, their growth can shift parallel to the jaw line. They can also shift backward and eventually interfere with the opening and closing of your jaw.
• Permanent damage to the surrounding teeth: People who have smaller mouths and jaws, which do not allow room for the third molars to grow in properly. If these teeth do erupt, overcrowding can occur. Your teeth will begin to shift or overlap each other. Wisdom teeth that erupt after orthodontic care is completed can cause the teeth to shift and negate the work performed. Chronic headaches and pain in the jaws will then follow if the tooth is not extracted.
• Increased risk of fracture to the jaw: Wisdom teeth can weaken the structural integrity of the jaw, which may result in an increased risk of jaw fracture.
• Increased risk of complications: You may develop cavities in the impacted wisdom tooth and also can spread it in the neighboring teeth. An infection associated with the flap of gum tissue that covers an erupting wisdom tooth can happen. Signs include swelling and pain when biting down onto inflamed tissue.

Wisdom teeth removal in Salt Lake City, UT are used to prevent and treat all of the above potential complications.