Do you ever experience jaw pain or popping sounds as you chew? These signs could indicate a condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder, also called TMJ disorder. Lifetime Orthodontics wants to bring some awareness to these conditions and explain how braces can potentially be the solution you’ve been looking for and help with your TMJ issues.
Living With TMJ Disorders
Your temporomandibular joints are the hinges connecting your jawbone to your skull, enabling you to speak, chew, and yawn. TMJ disorders occur when these joints or surrounding muscles experience dysfunction, leading to symptoms like limited movement and discomfort.
What you might not realize is that your TMJ symptoms can expand beyond your jaw, resulting in headaches, dizziness, and even neck and shoulder pain.
TMJ Problems and Orthodontic Solutions
1. Correcting Bite Alignment (Malocclusion):
- Problem: Misaligned bites (overbite, underbite, crossbite, open bite) put extra stress on the jaw muscles and joints.
- Solution: Orthodontic treatment aligns teeth properly, evenly distributing forces, relieving pressure, and reducing TMJ discomfort.
2. Improving Jaw Function:
- Problem: Poor alignment can cause unnatural movements or restricted mobility, leading to pain, clicking, or locking in the jaw joint.
- Solution: Braces or clear aligners reposition teeth and jaws into a more functional alignment, enabling smoother jaw movements and decreasing joint stress.
3. Reducing Muscle Strain and Tension:
- Problem: Misalignment can force jaw muscles to overcompensate, creating tension, headaches, or muscle fatigue.
- Solution: Orthodontics restores harmony in bite relationships, reducing unnecessary muscular strain and relaxing jaw muscles.
4. Teeth Grinding/Bruxism:
- Problem: Habitual grinding or clenching, particularly at night, which worsens TMJ inflammation and pain.
- Solution: Custom orthodontic night guards protect teeth and reduce grinding, aiding in the long-term resolution of bruxism alongside orthodontic correction.
Orthodontic Options Available for TMJ Relief
Dr. Wesley is very familiar with the effects of TMJ disorders and knows how to tailor our practice’s treatment options to tackle your symptoms. Here’s how they can help:
- Modern Metal Braces: Metal braces are powerful and reliable, ideal for treating the most severe misalignments and complex TMJ issues. They ensure steady and precise tooth movement to reduce joint stress.
- Clear Braces: Ceramic braces function similarly to metal braces but offer a more natural appearance. They’re a popular choice for teens and adults who want reliable treatment without the visibility of traditional braces.
- Invisalign Clear Aligners: Invisalign is an excellent choice for mild to moderate TMJ issues. These clear, removable aligners are custom-made to gently reposition your teeth, making your orthodontic experience extra discreet and comfortable.
Other Treatment Approaches
For some patients, braces may just be one step in a more holistic treatment, or we might opt for another approach altogether. Dr. Wesley will work with you to determine the root cause of your TMJ disorder and build a customized treatment plan to resolve it. We might integrate the following:
- Oral appliance therapy combined with physical therapy
- Trigger point injections for muscle relaxation
- Botulinum toxin injections (Botox) to ease muscle tension
Consequences of Ignoring TMJ Symptoms
It’s important not to ignore issues with your jaw function. The longer you wait to see a professional like Dr. Wesley, the worse the long-term consequences can become.
- Loss of Jaw Function: Long-term neglect of TMD can progressively restrict your jaw’s range of motion. Eventually, basic tasks like chewing, yawning, or even speaking can become considerably challenging. Severe cases may lead to jaw lock, where your jaw gets stuck in an open or closed position, which requires emergency intervention.
- Sleep Disruption and Associated Health Issues: TMJ disorders frequently disrupt sleep due to pain, muscle tension, and teeth grinding during the night. This lack of restful sleep can lead to chronic fatigue, reduced immune system efficiency, increased stress levels, and even contribute to mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression.
- Worsened Overall Health: Chronic stress and inflammation associated with untreated TMJ disorders don’t just affect your jaw and oral health—they can also contribute to broader health issues. This ongoing stress and discomfort can negatively impact your cardiovascular health, increase susceptibility to migraines, and exacerbate existing conditions like arthritis or fibromyalgia.
We want to encourage you to come in for a free consultation if you even suspect that you might be experiencing TMD symptoms, simply because they can be easy to write off without additional insight.
Back in Action
We hope this blog has reminded you that orthodontics extends far beyond just making smiles straighter. Lifetime Orthodontics takes pride in finding solutions for kids, teenagers, and adults that will improve your daily life and make a lasting impact here in Clinton Township and Grosse Pointe.