TMD/TMJ Treatment From Your Dentists in Hamilton

If you’ve been experiencing jaw pain, headaches/migraines, and/or pain when chewing food, you may be suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) caused by improperly functioning temporomandibular joints (TMJ). At Sagewood Dental Care in Hamilton, we provide diagnosis and treatment to many patients living with this condition.

What Causes TMD?

When your TMJ is not sliding properly, clicking, popping, or jaw locking or deviation can occur. The following factors may be to blame:

• Teeth grinding
• A bad bite
• Whiplash
• Skeletal malformations
• Poor posture
• Trauma

How Is Someone Tested For TMD?

After an initial discussion about your symptoms and how long you’ve been experiencing them, we’ll conduct a joint vibration analysis, where we’ll “listen” to your joints. We’ll also do surface muscle testing, where we’ll examine your facial muscle balance and test for underacting and overacting muscles, as well as reflex testing. We’ll then create dental molds of your upper and lower teeth, take digital photos, record your bite, and take x-rays of your TMJs, jaw bones, sinuses, and growth pattern.

Following your diagnosis, we’ll determine which treatments will best suit your needs. They may involve any of the following:

• Dental orthotics that will centre the lower jaw and allow the TMJ or surrounding muscles to heal
• Nighttime mouthguards (from appliances to treat sleep apnea to options that will prevent tooth grinding)
• Pain/inflammation relief with Energex and Iontophoresis
• Aid, when necessary, from other rehabilitation sciences, including physiotherapy, massage, & chiropractic
• Nutritional recommendations to help ensure that you receive the nutrients needed to heal.

Are you curious about whether TMD/TMJ treatment may help you? Contact our friendly team today to arrange a consultation!