Stop Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) Symptoms with Dental Splint Therapy

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most important joints in the body. The TMJ is a hinge-like joint at either side of the face and connects the lower jaw to the skull. Besides this structural importance, the TMJs serve a greater benefit—they help the mouth perform almost all functions, including smiling, chewing, yawning, talking, etc.

Unfortunately, your TMJ can be strained, injured, or inflamed, causing numerous unpleasant symptoms like headaches and jaw pain. Dentistry at LaSalle understands the burden of living with TMJ disorder (TMD). Drs. Sam Gupta and Swati Khanna of Burlington, Ontario, offer splint therapy to improve your TMD symptoms.

Understanding TMJ disorder symptoms

Our office often encounters patients with toothaches, damaged teeth, infected gums, and other dental issues. However, sometimes, we meet patients with non-typical dental complaints, like jaw soreness and locked jaws.

After diagnosis, we usually find TMJ pain as the main culprit. Not sure if you have TMJ dysfunction? Visit our office if you experience the symptoms below.

• Chronic headaches
• Jaw pain or tenderness
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Pain in the face, neck, and ears
• Difficulty chewing
• Limited mouth motions
• Clicking sounds when using your mouth

If you experience the above symptoms, don’t delay treatment, as this causes unnecessary pain and the progression of your condition. Instead, please schedule an appointment with our team for a correct diagnosis and treatment.

Treating TMJ pain with occlusal splint therapy

When you come to our office with TMD symptoms, we won’t turn you away or recommend painkillers to mask the symptoms. Our dental team offers effective dental or occlusal splints to treat the source of the pain. A dental splint is a custom-made mouthguard worn all day or at night to relax your jaw muscles and joints.

TMJ splints can be divided into two:

• Stabilization splints: This dental device works if the TMJ pain is caused by poor oral habits like chronic teeth grinding (bruxism). This appliance is worn over the lower and upper teeth, especially at night, when you are likely to grind teeth. A stabilization splint absorbs bruxism-induced pressure to relax the jaw joints and surrounding structures
• Repositioning splints: These devices are worn throughout the day and night and work by limiting jaw movement

Ready for a pain-free lifestyle with splint therapy in Burlington, Ontario? Call (905) 634-9090 to reserve an appointment with Dentistry at LaSalle.