Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders

Are You Suffering From Constant Headaches, Shoulder Ache, Facial Stiffness Or Fatigue, Jaw Joint Pain Or Locking?

The jaw joint, also known as TMJ, has a small disc inside. This can get damaged or displaced and can lock the joint up. Alternatively this joint can be over-stressed and the ligaments and muscles attached to it may become inflamed. This can lead to:

• TMJ pain
• Facial pain
• Joint clicking
• Joint locking
• Referred pain which may seem like a headache
• Sore tired muscles in the face

It is unclear exactly what causes TMJ disorder and there are many symptoms. In fact one of the difficulties in diagnosing TMJ disorder is that the symptoms are so common that many people do not even realise that their jaw is the cause of their problems. For example, some of the symptoms of TMJ disorder are:

• Headaches
• Dizziness and vision problems
• Jaw, ear, facial pain
• Neck, shoulder and back pain
• Altered hearing
• Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joint
• Locking of the jaw when attempting to open your mouth

If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms please feel free to give us a call. We are always happy to conduct a consultation where Dr Priestland can conduct a thorough examination and determine whether or not you have TMJ disorder.

Treatment options

Such conditions can often be successfully treated with various types of splints or intra-oral devices. A splint is mouth guard-like device that is worn primarily at night. They may be worn on either the upper or lower teeth and sometimes on both.  Surgery is rarely required. As further research is conducted, our understanding of how best to treat this disorder increases. For example we now know that stress can be potentiating factor in TMJ disorder.

Contact the friendly team at NQ Surgical Dentistry today on (07) 4725 1656 or call in to see us at 183 Kings Rd, Pimlico QLD 4812

Further Articles on TMJ Disorder

Temporo-mandibular (TM) Joint Problems and Therapy

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