Treating Your Jaw Pain

Treating Your Jaw Pain

What is that weird popping sound? Is it coming from your jaw? It happens when you open and close your mouth and sometimes when you jaw painchew. Your jaw hurts, too. These symptoms and more often characterize a common oral health condition called TMJ/TMD, or temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Dr. Charles Dean and Dr. Christopher Cripe understand how frustrating and debilitating this problem can be, and they offer helpful TMJ/TMD treatment at Beavercreek Dental Group.

Reasons for TMJ/TMD

Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from some degree of TMJ/TMD, affecting the hinge-like joints at both sides of the skull. While jaw pain and those odd clicking and popping sounds are very common, these symptoms may occur, too:

  • Ear pain
  • Headaches
  • Jaw stiffness
  • Neck, back and shoulder pain
  • Dizziness
  • Painful biting and chewing

While TMJ/TMD affects all kinds of people, women in their younger years seem more prone.

When a person is under a lot of stress, teeth clenching or grinding, called bruxism, may result. Bruxism can lead to the pain and stiffness of TMJ/TMD and can wear out tooth enamel, causing an uneven dental bite. An uneven bite may precipitate jaw pain, and on and on, the dysfunctional cycle goes. Arthritis in the jaw joint leads to pain and stiffness, too.

Treating TMJ/TMD

Dr. Dean and Dr. Cripe diagnose TMJ/TMD by gently feeling the jaw joints, asking you to open and close your mouth, with digital X-ray imaging, with a comprehensive oral examination and by symptomology. In other words, what you experience helps the dentist pinpoint TMJ/TMD and to determine how treatment should proceed at Beaver Creek Dental Group.

Common interventions are minimally invasive. Surgery to correct TMJ/TMD is not the first choice. Your dentist at Beavercreek Dental Group may advise:

  • Muscle relaxants
  • Stretching exercises
  • Orthodontic treatment to correct dental bite
  • Dental crowns

Another important intervention is the custom-made bite guard. This acrylic device fits comfortably within the mouth and reduces the effects of painful bruxism.

You can feel better

TMJ/TMD treatment will manage your symptoms so you feel and function at your best. To arrange a consultation with Dr. Dean or Dr. Cripe, contact the office team at Bearcreek Dental Group: (937) 429-3160.

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