TMJ Treatment in Snellville, GA

Oak Road Dentistry provides TMJ treatment in Snellville, GA. Call 770-985-9559 to learn more and schedule an appointment.

There are temporomandibular joints (TMJ) on both sides of your jaw that link it to the skull. When you open or close your mouth, these joints work as sliding hinges. If your TMJ work properly, you probably don't think about them very much, but when they cause chronic pain, it can be hard to think about anything else

TMJ disorder, or TMD, is the name used for chronic TMJ pain. TMD can be difficult to diagnose since the symptoms aren't always obvious—while jaw pain is the most common sign of TMD, it can also manifest as migraines, fullness in the ears, and a number of other symptoms. This is why it's important to seek treatment from a dental practice that specializes in TMD.

We make custom-fitted night guards to alleviate stress on the temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) which may be resulting in soreness or pain.

Our office can fabricate custom appliances to help alleviate those stresses and prevent further damage and pain. Typically worn at night, these removable acrylic appliances can help provide relief from temporomandibular joint pain and other effects of grinding the teeth.

• Myofascial pain - discomfort or pain in the muscles that control jaw function (grinding teeth can result in this type of TMJ disorder)
• Internal derangement of the joint - a possible indicator of a displaced disc, dislocated jaw, or injury to the condyle
• Arthritis - a degenerative inflammatory disorder

• Facial tenderness, especially around the jaw and cheeks
• Headaches
• Pain or feelings of fullness in or around the ears
• Jaw tightness
• Difficulty chewing
• Popping and clicking sounds when eating or opening the mouth
• Locking of the jaw

TMJ disorder treatment is one of our specialties at Oak Road Dentistry. We offer occlusal splint therapy using high-quality custom-made night guards that relax your jaw muscles and prevent bruxism (teeth grinding) while you sleep.

Self-managed care, such as switching to a soft food diet and using ice packs during flare-ups, is usually recommended as a first line of treatment for patients with TMJ disorder. If these treatments don’t help, occlusal splint therapy can relax the jaw during sleep and provide symptom relief.

Yes, TMJ pain does go away on its own for some people, especially when caused by an injury or stress. That said, if TMJ pain is affecting your quality of life, you should seek treatment to alleviate your pain and prevent permanent damage to the joints.

Surgery is rarely required or recommended for TMJ disorder. Self-managed care and night guards are two non-surgical strategies that are effective in treating TMJ pain.

Night guards (also known as occlusal splints) prevent you from grinding your teeth and clenching your jaw while sleeping, and relieve pain and inflammation by relaxing stiff jaw muscles.

Although stress does not cause TMD directly, it can be a trigger for many people. TMJ pain is often caused by muscle tension, jaw clenching, and teeth grinding, and these can all be exacerbated by stress and anxiety.

Call 770-985-9559 to schedule an appointment.