TMJ disorders are usually caused by excessive teeth grinding, arthritis or a past jaw injury and can cause mild to severe pain in the jaw muscles or joints. If you’ve been diagnosed with TMJ in Columbia, you may be confused about all your treatment options. Keep reading to learn about some popular methods of Tmj Treatment Columbia TN, and contact the Center for Dental Health for further options and professional advice.
Bite Guards
If your TMJ is caused by teeth grinding, your dentist will more than likely recommend wearing a bite guard to help correct the disorder and alleviate pain. Usually, these guards are worn while you sleep, but if the problem is severe your dentist may recommend wearing it more often.
Medications
There are several types of medication that are helpful in treating the pain that comes with TMJ. If you clench your jaw or grind your teeth at night, your doctor or dentist may prescribe you a sedative like Klonopin to help you relax while you sleep. For severe pain, prescription muscle relaxants can be an effective substitute for pain relievers. Also, according to the Mayo Clinic, tricyclic antidepressants are now being used to treat TMJ. These types of medications can aid in pain relief when taken regularly.
Physical Therapy
For long term relief, your doctor or dentist may recommend physical therapy. A typical physical therapy session for TMJ aims to stretch the muscles in the jaw by using hot and cold therapy, ultrasound techniques and facial exercises.
Injections
Sometimes, steroid injections into the jaw can be a helpful Tmj Treatment Columbia TN. Periodic injections into the jaw muscle significantly reduce pain in many people. In addition to steroids, Botox is also used sometime to the same effect, though it is far less common.
Surgery
In severe cases, your dentist or doctor may recommend surgery to correct your jaw problem. Surgery is typically only an option if your jaw joint has a dramatic structural issues that can’t be solved with less invasive treatments. Even then, this surgery is considered risky and controversial, so you should do extensive research before you consider it.
A TMJ disorder can be inconvenient and painful, but there are many different kinds of treatment that work to correct the problem and relieve the pain associated with it. Talk to your dentist or your doctor to develop the treatment plan that’s best for you.
