TMJ Dentist – San Marcos, CA and North San Diego County
TMJ is a disease of the jaw joints and the muscles of the head and neck. It can impact both young and older individuals. As our San Diego TMJ dentist explains, jaw problems can result from a number of reasons. Once we determine the root cause, then we can offer the proper solution. An automobile accident patient has a different set of needs versus someone who wakes up with morning headaches. The proper treatment begins with the correct diagnosis. Our TMJ dentist takes a thorough history of each patient to help in finding the root cause of the problem. Then the treatment can be aimed at the source and not just the symptoms.
San Diego TMJ Dentist Explains the Jaw Joint
The term “TMJ” refers specifically to the jaw joint. However, this term has become synonymous with any form of jaw pain that is not tooth-related. And sometimes it may not be immediately painful. Depending on the specific problem, most patients have one or more of the following symptoms: jaw pain, difficulty opening wide, tired and sore/painful jaw muscles, jaw joints popping/clicking, earaches, ringing in the ears, itchy ears, pain in the jaw joint, changing bite and restricted range of motion.
TMJ Pain – Sometimes Misdiagnosed as a Toothache
Jaw pain stemming from the TMJ is at times mistaken for a toothache. How can this happen? The reason is that a tooth can also cause symptoms that on the surface seem similar to TMJ. But when you look deeper you start seeing key differences between the two conditions. Another reason this happens is that all dentists are trained in treating tooth pain. Not all dentists though have the training to diagnose and treat facial pain unrelated to a tooth. Less than 5% of dentists have the training to properly diagnose and treat TMJ. This means that most dentists don’t know how to diagnose this condition, therefore they treat it as if it were a tooth-related issue. This is the typical scenario. The patient has jaw pain on the bottom left side and she visits her dentist. The dentist does an exam and finds a tooth on that same side that is sensitive to pressure. The dentist then refers the patient to an endodontist for a root canal treatment. Even after the root canal therapy is completed, the jaw pain does not go away. The dentist then suspects a fractured tooth and refers the patient to an oral surgeon for extraction of the tooth. The pain remains even after the tooth with the suspected fracture is extracted. The reason that all of these therapies failed to resolve the jaw pain the patient was experiencing was that the tooth was not the problem. The TMJ was the culprit.
TMJ – Is It Treatable?
Some patients have been told that there is nothing to be done for their jaw pain other than surgery. Others are told that TMJ is not curable. Neither of these statements is quite accurate though. While TMJ may not be curable, it is manageable. Surgery is only considered after all less invasive options have proven unsuccessful. Most often, TMJ occurs due to excessive forces on the facial muscles and the jaw joints. Controlling these forces is key to helping these patients manage their TMJ symptoms. A mouthguard made for treating TMJ is designed with these parameters in mind. And this is another reason why patients think they need surgery. Some patients are given a Nightguard made by their dentist. Some pick up an over-the-counter mouthguard (e.g. Boil and Bite type). Not all mouthguards (e.g. Nightguards) are designed to treat TMJ. In fact, the wrong mouthguard will make the symptoms worse!
TMJ Dentist Treats TMJ Without Surgery
Our San Diego TMJ dentist has years of experience treating TMJ patients with great success, without surgery. If you are tired of being told there is nothing you can do, contact us to set up your visit with our doctor.