If you have an aching jaw or possibly chronic headaches, this could be due to your smile. TMJ disorder and bruxism are different oral health issues that are often related, and could lead to discomfort and even damaged teeth. But with oral appliance therapy, your Shrewsbury, MA, dentist can offer a solution!
The Causes of Jaw Joint Strain
The joints connecting our jaw and skull are known as the temporomandibular joints, and they control the movement necessary to eat and speak. However, when these are stained, this could lead to TMJ disorder, an oral health issue that eventually impacts how you open and close your mouth, and causes a history of uncomfortable symptoms.
Bruxism can be caused by untreated TMJ, or vice versa, or may develop due to issues that strain the jaw joints. This disorder involves the chronic grinding and clenching of your teeth at night, which damages the enamel and wears down the teeth to increase the risk of tooth decay and infection.
The stress behind these issues could include missing teeth, dental misalignment, injury to the face or jaw, or even complications with how the jaw develops or the teeth erupt. High stress levels could be a factor as well! Our team will conduct a diagnosis to understand the underlying factors and offer the most appropriate treatment options, such as an oral appliance.
Warning Signs of Trouble
How do you know if you should see the dentist? Well, the warning signs for both could include headaches, migraines, jaw pain, and aches in the face, neck, and shoulders. With TMJ disorder, you could also have a popping or crackling sensation in your jaw, and bruxism could lead to tooth sensitivity and toothaches due to dental damage. When you encounter one or more of these symptoms, then we hope you will contact our team right away for treatment! We want to help you avoid these symptoms.
Oral Appliance Therapy
To create an oral appliance, our team will take detailed digital images of your teeth from multiple angles. We then combine them to create a 3D model, and will use this to design the oral appliance. The device is worn as you sleep and looks like a simple mouthguard. However, once in place this repositions the smile to ease pressure related to TMD. The oral appliance also puts a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage from bruxism episodes.
Speak With Your Shrewsbury/Grafton, MA Dentist’s Office About Oral Appliance Therapy
We would love to help you avoid the onset of painful TMJ-related symptoms and complications. If you would like to find out more about boosting the balance, health, and comfort of your smile, please reach out to Modern Dentistry Of Shrewsbury at (508) 842-8838.
