TMJ/ TMD Treatment

San Antonio, Texas

Temporomandibular Joint syndrome (TMJ), also known as TMD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder), causes symptoms that range from mildly annoying to excruciatingly painful. Some people suffering from severe TMJ cannot eat foods that require chewing or opening the mouth wide enough to bite. Dr. Hale in San Antonio, Texas, has the world’s best training in neuromuscular dentistry. He is a graduate of the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Training (LVI), and in fact is a clinical instructor there. You are in excellent hands here for obtaining definite information, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment for TMJ.

Some indications that you may have TMJ include:

• Pain and/or limited ability to open the mouth
• Headaches, teeth, jaw, facial, and even neck, shoulder and back pain
• Clicking or popping noises in the jaw joint
• Worn, cracked or inexplicably loose teeth
• Teeth that are sensitive or painful
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

What Exactly is TMJ?
The two temporomandibular joints, one on each side of the head, can be felt by putting a finger in front of each ear and opening your mouth. They consist of a ball and socket separated by a cartilage disc. When considering TMJ, Dr. Hale looks not only at the joint itself, but also at its muscles and ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves. This system makes it possible for us to open and close our mouths, and these components usually work seamlessly with one another when we eat and speak, smile, laugh, and yawn. When one or both becomes problematic, we suffer.

Neuromuscular dentists such as Dr. Hale refer to the act of closing the mouth as our bite, or occlusion. Many times the condition causing TMJ originates from an misaligned bite – a malocclusion. After you have ruled out possible medical conditions in a visit to your physician, Dr. Hale can determine if it is, indeed, your bite that is causing your TMJ discomfort. Once bite-origin TMJ has been determined, your TMJ pain can be relieved and a treatment decided upon.

Treating TMJ
Treating a misaligned bite takes a slightly different course with each individual.

• The jaw joint itself may need treating. Sometimes TMJ is caused by an accident, a blow or trauma to the side of the head which knocks the jaw joint out of alignment. In that case, the bones and their cartilage pad may need to be worked on directly by a physician.
• The jaw muscles may need to be retrained. This can be done with an orthotic, custom-designed for you. It would be worn for several months to gently nudge the muscles and teach them to stay in their natural, relaxed positions.
• Teeth may need to be repositioned or reshaped to create a smooth meeting of upper and lower teeth. In a mild case of TMJ, porcelain crowns can made to subtly build up certain teeth. Or small amounts of enamel can be strategically removed to reduce certain teeth. In both cases, the bite then becomes well-aligned.
• Sometimes psychological factors must be addressed. Dr. Hale would refer a person to a therapist for that.
• Dr. Hale may recommend a course of orthodontic work to reposition all the teeth. This could possibly be done using Invisalign rather than traditional braces.

Your individual needs will be thoroughly and carefully evaluated, and by discussing all options, you and Dr. Hale then decide on the best treatment plan for you.

Questions about TMJ

With a background of meticulous LVI neuromuscular training, and being a clinical instructor at LVI, Dr. Brian Hale can give you a very productive free consultation. Contact us today to set one up. You have come to the right place!