What is TMJ?
You may have heard the term TMJ defined as a popping sound in the jaw. This is only a small part of the picture. Your temporomandibular joints, abbreviated as TMJ, are where those symptoms originate. You have one temporomandibular joint located under the skin and muscle just below each ear. These are the hinges that allow you to open and close your mouth when eating, speaking, smiling or laughing. TMJ disorder symptoms such as jaw popping and others can occur due to teeth grinding (bruxism), teeth misalignment, and stress.
The Signature Smiles Dental team provides effective TMJ treatment in Streetsboro, Elyria, and Brunswick, OH. With our extensive training and credentials, we’ve been able to restore comfortable, full, and normal jaw functioning for countless patients. We can alleviate a wide variety of TMJ disorder symptoms with a dental deprogrammer. If you’re experiencing any common symptoms of a TMJ disorder, let us know.
Telltale TMJ Disorder Symptoms
- Jaw pain, popping, and stiffness
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Worn-down teeth
- Headaches and migraines
- Swallowing difficulties
- Malocclusion
- Eye pain
- Backaches
- Earaches
Retraining
your jaw to relax
As the practice that guarantees you a 100% anxiety-free experience, we consider dental deprogrammers ideal for TMJ treatment. A deprogrammer is like a retainer, but it has a different function. A retainer helps your teeth stay straight after orthodontic treatment. The deprogrammer enables us to assess and adjust your bite. It works by painlessly reprogramming or undoing the current muscle memory of your bite. It prevents your teeth from interlocking and allows your jaw to shift into a more comfortable, relaxed position.
This is a gradual process—you’ll wear your deprogrammer appliance for up to a month, removing it only during mealtimes and your daily dental hygiene routine. Maintenance of the dental deprogrammer is hassle-free and can be completed with toothpaste and some water. At the end of your treatment, you’ll be ready to enjoy a normal life again, free of TMJ disorder symptoms and able to eat and perform other activities comfortably.
