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How to Prevent TMJ Problems

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No matter how good your dental hygiene is, there is one problem you may not be able to avoid completely: TMJ disorder, or TMD. The TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, connects your skull and jawbone. TMJ disorder occurs when you begin to have repeated pain in that area. It can cover from the cheekbones to the neck, but is caused by the damage which has been done to the joint.

The Real Causes

There are many things that can cause this disorder, including being injured either in the teeth or the jaw, grinding teeth, stress, arthritis, not having proper posture, and even chewing gum. Teeth grinding is very commonly an unconscious thing, and it may only be that you do it in your sleep. Other causes are anything which may bring stress to the joint. Sometimes it is unknown what causes someone to develop TMJ syndrome.

Preventing TMJ Problems

If you’re concerned, you may want to use these tips to help.

  • Pay attention to the way you feel. If you have pain in the jaw area, be careful not to chew gum or chew on anything by habit- such as the end of a pencil or your nails. Biting on objects can actually bring on the pain you want to avoid. It stresses the joint and can cause inflammation.
  • Take smaller bites when you are eating. This will allow you to use less pressure when chewing.
  • Hold the telephone with your hands, not by using your neck or shoulder to squeeze the phone into a hold. You can avoid irritating the joint by avoiding using this position when talking on the phone.
  • Massage your head; pay special attention to your jaw, temples, and cheeks. Gentle massage will relax any tension you may experience and help you avoid a flare up of the joint.
  • Use moist heat when you feel tense, have a little pain, or have been especially stressed. Apply moist heat to your jaw to help relieve the tension before you run into a worse problem.
  • Ask your dentist for advice. If you are a teeth grinder, a professional may be able to give you a splint to use during the night so you can’t grind them in your sleep.
  • Practice relaxation exercises. Concentrate on the jaw, neck, and shoulders. This will help you learn how to relax yourself when you feel tension and pain creeping in.

TMJ disorder or TMD can be very painful when it flares up. Pay attention to your warning signs and take the proper measures to make sure it doesn’t get the best of you. Staying as pain free as possible means preventing the symptoms and taking precautions to make sure you are always aware of the ways your body reacts to each preventive measure.

For more information about which foods are great (or not so great) for your teeth, schedule an appointment at one of the Central Dental locations in Arkansas by calling 501-697-4282 or by filling out our online form.

Do You Have TMJ Disorder?

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Do you experience pain in your jawline or hear a clicking sound when you open and close your mouth? This could be a result of TMJ.

Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction has been linked to extreme jaw pain, tooth pain, and even headaches. There are many factors that could contribute to your TMJ condition. Some of which are repetitive strain from eating foods that are too hard, bone deficiencies, weakness of mandible muscles, arthritis, uneven teeth as a result of irregular chewing patterns, overfilled cavities, or even stress.

tmj pain relief little rock conway ar

The location of the temporomandibular joint

These factors all contribute to the numbing pain that surely some of you know all too well. However, when it comes to stress it can come from emotional or physical stress. When speaking about emotional stress, people tend to pout and clench their teeth when they are frustrated or upset. This type of pouting or teeth clenching for extended periods of time can create enormous amounts of pressure on the Temporomandibular joint and lead to extreme joint pain.

 

The symptoms of TMJ don’t readily show themselves until the pain is far too much to handle. Typically, the pain begins as a dull, nagging sensation near the ear and if often confused with an inner ear infection. As the stress continues to escalate, so does the pain. Also, as stress begins to lessen so too does the pain. This correlation must be understood, otherwise patients can potentially be misdiagnosing their symptoms without treating the true source of pain. To make matters even worse, TMJ of this nature is also a leading contributor to obstructive sleep apnea.

The combination of TMJ and obstructive sleep apnea will only lead to more issues if the conditions go untreated and the vicious cycle of stress related pain will continue. To help ease the pain, consult with the trusted TMJ specialists of Central Dental. Call us today at 501-225-1577 to schedule your consultation and start on the path to pain relief.

TMJ Treatment in Central Arkansas

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It affects a large percent of American adults, and many don’t even realize that it’s completely treatable. Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, or TMJ, causes chronic pain for millions every year. If you suffer from pain or pressure in or around the ear, headaches or tenderness and pain in the jaw muscles make an appointment with our TMJ team at one of our Central Dental locations today! Central Dental can identify TMJ symptoms and offers TMJ treatment in Little Rock, Jacksonville and Conway so wherever you live in Central Arkansas we have an office near you.

What is TMJ and how can you get TMJ relief?

For starters, try this: touch one of your earlobes with your pointer finger. Now, move your finger about an inch in the direction of your nose and a little bit up so it’s positioned right in front of the ear and about halfway between your temple and your cheekbone. Finally, try opening and closing your mouth. Do you feel that joint moving? That’s your temporomandibular joint, a small joint comprised of bone, muscle and cartilage that connects the jawbone to the rest of the skull and ensures proper jaw movement and function. It’s the most commonly used joint in the body, and just like with your car, if there’s any part that is constantly in motion sometimes there can be mechanical problems.

TMJ sufferers can have problems with the joint itself, but more commonly the muscles around the joint are the problem. Frequently grinding or clenching your teeth at night can cause pain in these muscles, or there can simply be a displacement of the disk between the socket and the bone. If you hear clicking or popping sounds or have trouble or pain when opening or closing your mouth it may be due to a displaced disk.

How can you treat TMJ?

Since there are so many causes of discomfort in the temporomandibular area there is no one cure-all solution, but treatment can range from therapy and jaw exercises to surgical correction depending on the severity of the problem and the effectiveness of nonsurgical options. In order to correctly diagnose your unique TMJ problem and identify the correct treatment it’s important to visit a medical professional with experience treating TMJ. At Central Dental, we have a team with significant experience in diagnosing and treating TMJ, and we would love to help ease your chronic pain or discomfort. Call our Little Rock, Jacksonville or Conway office today to set up an appointment and take charge of your dental health.

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