Do you suffer from jaw discomfort and other problems commonly associated with TMJ disorder (TMD)? If you’re not quite sure, here’s a rundown: Your TMJs are your temporomandibular joints – or your jaw joints. You have one located on each side of your head. It provides your lower jaw the connection to the rest of your cranium and also provides the ability for it to move. When these joints fail to function properly, you suffer from TMD. This may bring with it a lot of frustrating symptoms like popping, soreness, radiating discomfort, and difficulty chewing comfortably. Fortunately, we offer a variety of TMJ treatment options to alleviate your discomfort, while steering you back toward comfort and oral health, including:
Oral Exercises
We may provide you with recommendations on ways to improve the strength of your muscles. Strengthening the tissues surrounding your TMJ joints and within your mouth can help improve your comfort by reducing the amount of stress and strain placed on the joints themselves.
Stress Reduction
Many patients clench their teeth or tighten their jaw muscles as a reaction to stress or anxiety. We may provide suggestions for stress reduction techniques to help protect your jaw joints from tension.
Compresses
In some cases, hot or cold compresses may make all the difference in the world when it comes to achieving immediate comfort improvement. We will instruct which is best for your particular needs.
Habit Suggestions
Do you bite your nails? Chew on ice? We will speak with you about potential bad habits that can make your TMD problem worse.
Oral Appliance Therapy
This non-invasive type of TMJ treatment is simple yet effective. We may provide you with an oral device like a mouth guard that you will wear while you sleep at night. It may gently readjust your jaw or cushion your bite to promote a restful position for your jaw joints.
ABOUT YOUR SHERIDAN, WY DENTISTS:
Questions about our Sheridan, WY dentist office? To learn more about our services, or to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors, contact us at (307) 672-7567. We welcome residents of Sheridan, Gillette, Billings, Miles City, and the neighboring communities.
