Jaw Pain (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)
If you are experiencing jaw pain it may be that you have Temporomandibular Joint Disorder “TMD”.
The Symptoms
- 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 “lock”
- 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 include toothache, headache, neck ache, upper shoulder pain or ringing in your ears.
Causes of TMD?
The jury is still out 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.
Treatment
We recommend that you come in straight away and have us assess if there are other issues that are causing jaw pain before we determine that it is TMD.
Home remedies include moist heat pack to be applied to the side of the face, eating soft foods and avoiding extreme jaw movements. Learning to rest the
jaw with relaxation techniques can also help.
At the practice we can prescribe medicine for the swelling and pain as well as constructing an occlusal splint or night guard to reduce the effects of
clenching and grinding and to correct your bite.
Have your jaw pain professionally assessed today, book an appointment at About Smiles Chatswood dental centre. Contact us today here or call Chatswood (02) 9415 3555, Zetland (02) 9313 6388, Westfield Eastgardens (02) 8488 9994.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.