Find relief for TMJ pain in Annandale, VA

Jawbones do plenty of work every day – work that goes mostly unnoticed. You don’t often think about your jawbones when eating, talking, laughing, kissing, or even during one of those feel great, late evening big yawns before bedtime.

But when these everyday activities come with jaw pain and discomfort it gets your attention. You feel the pain at many different times throughout a typical day and in many different situations.

The medical term for the jaw pain you’re experiencing is temporomandibular disorder (TMD). In simpler terms the normal range of movement in your jawbones, up and down and side to side, is not possible for you. When you try to use that range to eat and chew a favorite food, enjoy a conversation with a friend, or yawn you feel pain or discomfort. The discomfort you experience can range from a minor nuisance all the way to serious pain.

Common signs of TMJ disorder

Some of the common signs that you may be suffering with a TMJ disorder include:

• Head, neck and earaches
• Ringing in the ears
• Pain around or behind the eyes, or shoulders and back
• Popping and clicking sounds with jaw movements
• Jaw locked in place

Common causes

In adults TMJ disorder can be caused by missing teeth, or teeth that have been worn down over the years through grinding during sleep and jaw clenching. Both missing and worn-down teeth can create issues with your jawbone joints and the alignment between jaws, gums and teeth for a proper bite.

A common scenario in which TMJ disorder can begin in children is when adult teeth replace baby teeth. The spaces for new teeth to enter might be smaller or wider, and eventually lead to improper bite. Over time the improper bite can lead to jaw pain and discomfort.

The dental solution

Now that you have some knowledge about your condition, possible causes and the usual symptoms, your next move is how to get relief.

Dental procedures can help if you have missing teeth or teeth that have been worn down through grinding during sleep or jaw clenching.

To treat teeth grinding, you could be fitted for an orthopedically designed and custom-made dental appliance. The molded appliance can help to correct jaw and head positions, as well as relax the jaw during sleep to prevent teeth grinding.

It’s worth noting though to give you long-lasting relief you may need treatment from other medical practitioners plus your dentist.

Getting you on the right road to relief

TMJ disorder could result from other lifestyle issues beyond your teeth. Stress in the workplace or at home, or poor neck and head posture are among other possible causes for your TMJ pain.

At Evergreen Dental, our assessment and evaluation will look to identify the cause of your TMJ pain. If your relief solution isn’t dental related, we can coordinate with other medical practitioners and professionals, such as chiropractors, physical therapists and osteopaths, to assist with your treatment.

When the cause is identified, the right solution and treatment can get started, and relief for you can be on its way.

Get pain-free today

Call us today at 703-215-9630 and set up an evaluation with our treatment professionals.