TMJ
Have you ever experienced pain or discomfort in your jaw joint-popping, clicking, or locking?
Do you clench or grind your teeth?
Do you experience frequent headaches?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions you may have Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD or TMJ). Good news though, Dr. Nagel is an expert, recently retired from teaching at UCLA on the subject. Call our office to schedule an exam.
More about TMJ
The “Temporomandibular Joint,” more commonly referred to as the “jaw joint,” assists in the basic opening and closing movements of the jaw. Unfortunately, this joint is a common area for recurring pain. Although conventional wisdom suggests that “popping” sounds in the jaw indicates a TMJ dysfunction, this is not always true. Many times, your jaw is functioning properly even if a “popping” sound is present when chewing or talking.
Possible TMJ problems include swelling, deterioration of the joint tissue or damaged joint tissue (which cushions the jaw bones during the opening and closing movement of the mouth). Common pain relievers and cold compresses can provide temporary relief for most cases of TMJ.
For more serious cases of TMJ, we will recommend alternate treatments. Often, we will suggest using a mouth guard to relieve teeth grinding. In some cases, we will instruct you to use orthodontic appliances or retainers to alleviate discomfort or redirect positioning of the TMJ joint. For severe cases, we may take other measures.