Dental visits are typically only associated with the treatment of teeth related issues. Whether a cavity needs to be filled, teeth are due to be cleaned, a root canal is performed, or orthodontics are attached, people tend to associate these procedures as the main reason to visit the dental office. What many don’t realize is that this is also the best place to go for ailments with the jaw. Sure, a dentist is not the person to see if a jaw is broken, but in the case of misalignment, cancer, or especially temporomandibular joint disorder, an experienced dental professional is exactly who a patient needs to visit to help remedy the situation.
Injury to the jaw is one of the leading causes of temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ for short. Although it can manifest as a result of an accident, TMJ most commonly appears in people who chew excessively. Overworking the jaw joints causes them to weaken and deteriorate faster than normal. Those suffering from the TMJ Wichita KS dentists treat regularly know just how uncomfortable this disorder can be. Pain not only manifests in the jaw joints, the injury is also a catalyst for consistent headaches, sensitive teeth, and grinding. If the problem is not addressed in a timely manner, the patient will suffer needlessly while the symptoms and side effects get progressively worse. Teeth grinding wears down enamel, headaches increase in strength, sensitive teeth and sore jaw joints cause movement issues, ear discomfort can mimic a bad infection, and jaw pain will gradually radiate into the neck and shoulder, causing substantial soreness in the muscles and tendons.
Luckily, people suffering from this disorder can be treated with methods that don’t require surgery. After testing jaw functionality and taking x-rays to ensure that nothing else is happening internally, an experienced dental staff, like the one at East Wichita Dentist, can set patients on the path to recovery. They typically begin by creating a personalized night guard to protect the teeth and jaw at night. Pain and anti-inflammatory medications are also prescribed to help ease the patients’ suffering. The dentist may then administer a bite correction therapy which will work at fine-tuning the movement of the jaw and returning everything to its normal location. Home remedies are also often implemented. These work in conjunction with the prescribed procedures in hopes of eliminating the painful TMJ Wichita KS residents dread and speeding up the healing process.
