Jaw Pain Treatment Sydney

Jaw Pain (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)

If you are experiencing jaw pain, the reason could be a condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, commonly referred to as ‘TMD’.

The temporomandibular joints are perhaps the two most vital joints in your body, the hinge points we use for opening and closing our mouths, chewing, yawning, coughing, talking and even breathing. You can locate them just in front of your ears, and they connect your jaw with your skull.

As you can imagine, these joints have to go through a lot throughout our lives, and for various reasons, they may start to experience dysfunction. If you’ve noticed jaw pain near your ears or a popping or clicking sound, TMD could be the culprit.

The symptoms of TMJ jaw pain

Narrowing down whether you’re experiencing pain because of TMD or another issue may be challenging, but there are several tell-tale symptoms indicating TMD is to blame:

Pain or tenderness in your jaw joint area, neck and shoulders, and in or around the ear when you chew, speak or open your mouth wide
Jaws that get “stuck” or “locked up” throughout the day
Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the jaw joint when you open or close your mouth or chew
Trouble chewing or a sudden uncomfortable bite, as if your teeth are not fitting together properly
Swelling on the side of your face

Other symptoms of TMJ jaw pain include toothache, headache, neck ache, upper shoulder pain or ringing in your ears.

What causes TMD?

The medical community still hasn’t reached a consensus as to what causes TMD. It could be from grinding or teeth clenching, misalignment of the disc between the ball and socket of the joint, arthritis in the joint or stress from tightening official and jaw muscles.

There may be more than one cause for this type of ear and jaw pain, or it may be a confluence of factors. Luckily, although the causes of this disorder aren’t clear, treatment is straightforward and effective. TMD ultimately doesn’t need to be a severe condition; help and relief are available.

TMJ treatment options

The worst thing you can do with any dental or jaw pain is to ignore it; this will only lead to potentially more serious problems down the track. We recommend that you come in straight away and have us assess if there are other issues that are causing you jaw pain before we determine that it is TMD. Once you’ve received your professional assessment, our experienced dentists can recommend a course of treatment.

Home remedies can be helpful in managing TMD. Moist heat packs may be applied to the side of the face, eating soft foods can provide relief, as can avoiding extreme jaw movements. Learning to rest the jaw with relaxation techniques can also help.

At the practice, we can prescribe medicine for any swelling and pain you may be experiencing, as well as construct an occlusal splint or night guard to reduce the effects of clenching and grinding and to correct your bite.

If one of these treatments is appropriate, our team will develop a plan for you to eventually correct your jaw position and remove your jaw pain for good.

No matter the cause of your jaw or ear pain, it’s important to see a dentist so you can properly diagnose the issue, treat it most effectively and avoid any problem from worsening.

Treat your TMJ jaw pain today with our experienced dentists’ help

If you’ve been living with jaw pain, don’t put off finding a solution any longer. Our team of experienced and friendly dentists can help you find an effective treatment and get you back to living your best pain-free life. Have your jaw pain professionally assessed today; book an appointment at an About Smiles dental centre.

As well as treating jaw pain, our team specialises in emergency dental care, general dentistry, cosmetic treatments, advanced treatments and children’s dental care. Whether you have jaw pain, an urgent dental issue or you’re just due for a check-up, we make it easy to get the quality dental care you need.

Contact us online today or call Chatswood at (02) 9415 3555, Zetland at (02) 9313 6388 or Westfield Eastgardens at (02) 8488 9994.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

FAQs

When should I be concerned about jaw pain?

Any type of jaw pain is concerning; pain is a sign that something in our bodies isn’t functioning normally, and you should listen to these physical signs to make sure that whatever is causing the discomfort is treated before it worsens. Our experienced dentists can give you a professional assessment to determine the reason for any ear or jaw pain and recommend a treatment plan to deal with any underlying issues. Often, the solution to jaw pain will be straightforward and nothing to be overly worried about.

Is jaw pain a symptom of anything?

If you’re experiencing jaw pain near the ear, this can be a symptom of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMD. This is a dysfunction of your major jaw joints and should be treated quickly to prevent any further medical issues. In other cases, jaw pain may indicate a cavity, another jaw alignment issue, teeth grinding, bruxism or postural issues. In order to rule out other issues and receive the best treatment, it’s important to book an appointment with your local dentist and resolve the issue.

Why do I have TMD all of a sudden?

Simply put, no one knows exactly what causes TMD. The joint is a major hinge point that may be affected by jaw position, teeth grinding, tension through the jaw and neck, posture, joint misalignment and more. Although the exact causes of TMD aren’t known, we do have a range of effective treatments to resolve the issue, and there’s no need to suffer in silence if this type of jaw pain is holding you back and stopping you from enjoying normal activities like eating, talking and yawning.

What causes jaw pain near the ear?

When jaw pain is localised, particularly on the edge of the jaw just in front of the ear, this is a good sign that Temporomandibular Joint Disorder could be to blame. This is the spot where the temporomandibular joint is located, and a problem in this area can manifest as jaw pain, clicking or other discomfort.

How do I get TMD to go away?

There are a variety of at-home TMJ treatments and medical procedures or tools which can be used to effectively treat TMD. These may include wearing a night guard to prevent teeth grinding, realigning the jaw using various tools like retainers, taking medication to reduce swelling and treat pain or applying soothing heat packs to provide relief.

Is TMD a serious problem?

Any chronic or ongoing pain is serious, and there’s no reason to put up with ongoing discomfort and pain if you don’t have to. Fortunately, treating TMD is simple at About Smiles and has good outcomes for resolving jaw pain.

What will happen if TMD is not treated?

If TMD isn’t treated, your jaw pain will persist, and it may even get worse. If your jaw and ear pain is indicative of a misalignment of the disc between the ball and socket of your temporomandibular joint, corrective action should be taken in order to avoid any permanent damage to the joint as you age. No matter the cause, putting up with chronic, ongoing pain has adverse outcomes for your overall health and well-being. You deserve to live a pain-free life, so there’s no reason not to seek treatment for your TMJ jaw pain and start enjoying a better quality of life.