How to treat TMJ and get your jaw back in line
Many factors cause TMJ pain, and finding the right treatment can be difficult. Fortunately, there are a few different options for how to treat TMJ
By Ramon Duran
Of all the hinges that facilitate your bodily functions, the jaw joint is one of the busiest, and also one of the most problematic. TMJ pain, also known as TMD — temporomandibular joint disorder — affects about 15 percent of adults, most of them between the ages of 20 and 40.
The TMJ is the joint on each side of your face attaching your jaw to the bottom of your skull. The muscles near them enable opening and closing of the mouth, but the disorder and pain occur when the joints get out of line or don’t move as they should.
Many factors cause TMJ pain: tooth movement, the wearing down of teeth, injury to the jaw, head or neck. Finding the right treatment can be difficult.
Due to the combination of sliding motions and hinging, the TMJ is the most complicated joint in the body. And because of its connection to the largest cranial nerve, the smallest misalignment can have a significant impact on the rest of the system. Any time your bite changes, it affects your TMJ.
Here are a few different options for how to treat TMJ.
An occlusal splint
This is a plastic mouthpiece fitting over the upper and lower teeth so they don’t touch. Besides protecting the teeth from grinding at night, it helps with teeth alignment by holding the jaw steady, relieving the muscle stress placed on the TMJ by the misalignment.
Pain medication
Muscle relaxers, pain killers, and other medications as prescribed may help with temporary relief of TMJ pain.
Dental adjustments
This involves making changes to the teeth to bring the bite back into balance. For many cases, it could be a matter of doing some minor adjustments in the enamel of your teeth; on some occasions, orthodontic treatment or a more extensive reconstruction could be needed — for example, replacing missing teeth or using crowns or bridges to balance the biting surfaces.
Botox
Since Botox works by blocking the nerve signals to the muscles, it may provide temporary relief to sore jaw muscles when used in small doses. However, this method is not approved by the FDA for use with TMJ issues.
Surgery
While surgery is an option, it should be avoided when possible, because there are no long-term clinical trials showing the effectiveness of surgical procedures helping with TMJ disorders, and the treatment is often irreversible. Three types of surgery for TMJ are arthrocentesis, in which the dentist gives general anesthesia, inserts needles in the joint, and washes it out; arthroscopy, which uses a special tool with a light and lens hooked to a video screen; and open-joint surgery, used when bony structures in the jaw joint are wearing down.
Implants
Artificial implants to replace jaw joints are also an option but should be taken under the same strict considerations as surgery.
One of the biggest problems with TMJ issues is how long they take to manifest. Good dentists should be on the lookout for conditions like frequent headaches, facial pains, tooth wear, and a history of root canals.
Ramon Duran, DMD, is a dentist based in San Juan, Puerto Rico and author of “Your Best Smile … For a Lifetime: Achieving Your Optimal Health.”
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