The temporomandibular joint (or TMJ) is situated between the mandible and temporal cavity (in front of the ear). Sometimes problems such as pain, cracking noises, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, ear aches, etc. occur if the jaw rotates when opening, closing, or making lateral movements with the mouth. After clinical assessment, proper treatment will improve and reduce discomfort caused by joint disorders.
Most joint pain is caused from clenching your teeth at night time, most patients are not aware they even do this. This is most commonly caused by stress. If you are waking up in the morning with pain in your jaw, you are likely grinding your teeth. In many cases, this type joint pain can be treated with the fabrication of a removable night guard.
This is an image of a patients’ actual night guard, fabricated by our in-building lab, Millident. The clear night guard fits snugly over your teeth (typically your upper teeth) after being ran under warm water for approximately 1 minute. This will place your jaw in a rest position and as well, protect your teeth from the damaging grinding forces. In many cases, the night guard is covered in a large portion by insurance. Contact us today if you think you may have this problem, we can help.
