TMD/TMJ Treatment in Rochester, MN

What does TMJ/TMD mean?

If you're experiencing jaw pain, headaches, or difficulty chewing, you might suffer from temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). This is a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint and is used to describe pain and compromised jaw movement. A dentist TMJ specialist, like Dr. Greenslade, can provide a comprehensive diagnosis and develop a personalized treatment plan to alleviate your symptoms.

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Did you know?

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TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is the body part. TMD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction) is the disorder.

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What to expect at your TMJ/TMD consultation

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Discussing Your Symptoms & Pain

To begin, you’ll have a conversation with your dentist TMJ specialist, Dr Greenslade, and discuss the pain that you’re experiencing, as well as other symptoms like jaw “popping” or “clicking,” facial soreness, lockjaw, and any other issues that may be affecting your jaw and your mouth.

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Comprehensive Exam & Diagnosis

Dr. Greenslade will provide you with a comprehensive exam, which typically includes jaw x-rays or panoramic x-rays to examine the health and position of your jaw and the other structures of your face. After evaluating all the information, he will determine if TMD is the issue.

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Recommended Treatment Plan

After diagnosis, Dr. Greenslade will provide you with a treatment plan. This could include lifestyle changes, as well as treatment with a night guard for teeth grinding or an oral appliance that will help adjust the position of your jaws and encourage healing while you sleep.

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Technology

Throughout you consultation, Dr. Greenslade will use a variety of technology to evaluate your TMJ. This includes a T-scan, doppler auscultation, intra-oral scans, and CBCT imaging.

Your TMJ/TMD Treatment Options

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Equilibration

Your joints (TMJ), muscles, and teeth are meant to work in harmony with one another. Research shows that when any of these three is not working in concert with the others people can develop pain in the TMJ, muscles, or teeth. Other symptoms can include wear, sensitivity to cold, biting discomfort, mobility of teeth, recession, abfractions (notching in teeth) or bone loss. Dr. Greenslade has received extensive training in creating a plan that brings the TMJ, muscles, and teeth back into harmony.

Equilibration is a procedure in which 1) the TMJ is in its most physiologically comfortable position 2) the muscles are relaxed and 3) the teeth come together ideally. Achieving this can provide comfort to the whole system.

Night Guard

A night guard may be prescribed to protect your teeth and help with the effects of teeth grinding (bruxism), which is a common cause of TMD. Night guards look similar to a mouthguard or retainer, and are made of a thick plastic material. They are typically custom-fitted to your top teeth, and are worn at night when you sleep.

The plastic prevents your teeth from contacting each other directly, which helps reduce the damage done by teeth grinding, and also helps prevent grinding. This, in turn, can help reduce the symptoms of TMD.

Corrective Dental Treatment

A poor bite alignment or jaw position is often a contributing factor for TMD, or can even be the primary cause of this dental issue. If Dr. Greenslade believes that your jaw or tooth position is causing your TMD, he may recommend that you have corrective dental treatment with orthodontics such as braces or Invisalign. Along with lifestyle changes, corrective dental treatment is often enough to completely eliminate TMD.

Medication

For acute TMD, medications like muscle relaxers may be prescribed. These medications help you avoid clenching and muscle spasms, and encourage the healing of your temporomandibular joint.

In some cases, medications like corticosteroids may be injected directly into the joint to help relieve inflammation and encourage healing. The specific medication and treatment we recommend to treat TMD varies depending on the needs of each patient.

Did you know?

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TMD pain can extend to the neck, ear, face, upper back and shoulders. It can also cause migraines.

Interested in exploring TMJ/TMD treatments options?

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Have questions about TMJ/TMD?

What are TMD symptoms?

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The symptoms of TMD vary quite a bit depending on the patient. You may experience issues like:

  • Pain and stiffness around your jaw
  • Migraine headaches
  • Clicking or popping noises when moving your jaw
  • Difficulty opening your jaws all the way
  • Pain when chewing or eating

If you notice any of these symptoms, we recommend scheduling an appointment Honor Dental right away to get help.

What causes TMD?

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TMD and TMJ pain is caused by a variety of different issues:

  • Direct trauma to the temporomandibular joint
  • Bite and tooth alignment issues
  • Bruxism or teeth grinding 
  • Lifestyle issues, such as excessive gum chewing 
  • Inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, like arthritis 

Because TMD and TMJ pain can be caused by so many different health issues, it’s important to see an experienced dentist, like Dr. Greenslade, when seeking care. 

Can TMD go away on its own?

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Some cases of mild TMD may go away on their own with lifestyle changes, such as ceasing gum chewing, de-stressing to eliminate teeth clenching, and more. However, if you suffer from the symptoms of TMD for more than a week or two, your condition may be chronic. To learn more about your specific case of TMD, it’s best to seek assistance from the experience team atHonor Dental to get the help you need.

How can I treat TMJ pain on my own?

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There are a few steps you can take to treat TMJ pain on your own. Jaw exercises may help strengthen the jaw muscles and joints, which can help provide you with relief from the effects of TMD.

In addition, applying hot and cold compresses to the area at 10-minute intervals can help with inflammation and control the pain and discomfort of TMD as your jaw heals.

It’s also a good idea to take steps to decrease jaw clenching, such as exercising and de-stressing to reduce the likelihood of nighttime teeth grinding. You may also want to consider ceasing gum chewing, and eating a diet of mostly soft foods to minimize the work your jaw muscles must do while they heal.

You can also use over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen and acetaminophen to help control pain and inflammation as your jaw heals, and you recover from TMD.

While some cases of TMD are minor and can be resolved with these simple steps and other at-home remedies, you should consider seeking help if you experience serious pain and discomfort, or if your symptoms persist for 1-2 weeks or longer.

Did you know?

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Stress can make TMD worse. Clenching of the jaw and bruxism can wear out the jaw and enhance TMJ pain.

Ready for your appointment?

call (507) 288-1101 today!