Don’t Get Trapped By TMJ Pain│Plainfield, IN dentist

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Have you been fighting the pain and misery of frequent headaches or migraines lately without any clear understanding of the cause?

Your Plainfield dentist at Rod Eccles, DDS can help!

Today, we’re talking about temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, disorder, a misalignment of the hinges just below your ears that allow you to open and close your mouth and how we can help you find relief!

What Causes TMJ Disorder?

You really need to visit Dr. Eccles to find out if you’re suffering from TMJ disorder, but here are some widely-accepted causes you can read about to help you get closer to figuring out the likelihood that you have this problem:

It Could Be Stress

There’s the actual stress you might be putting on your jaw joint, and there’s the stress we all deal with in our daily lives that can manifest through physical tension in your jaw. Both could aggravate problems with the joint itself and its alignment and functionality.

It May Be Arthritis

You can get arthritis in your joints, including your TMJ.

If that happens, the inflammation can lead to all the common discomforts of TMJ disorder.

It Could Be Bruxism

Bruxism is the technical term for teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Experts don’t know for sure if TMJ disorder leads to bruxism or if it’s the other way around, but they’re definitely linked enough to take notice.

It May Have Been An Injury

Any injury to your face or jaw could be the source of your misalignment, and it doesn’t even have to be all that significant or traumatic in the moment. You could be struck in the face by a ball during a sport or your child’s elbow while wrestling around on the floor.

Are You Caught In The TMJ Trap?

Only a trained professional like Dr. Eccles can give you a proper diagnosis for TMJ disorder, but here a few other symptoms to go along with headaches that could point to it:

Evaluate Your Breathing

Are you breathing easily?

Trouble with your sinuses could be a sign of trouble with your jaw joint, since the two are so close together.

Trace Your Pain

The pain of TMJ disorder can radiate, but you’ll feel it mostly in the head, face, jaw, and perhaps even into the neck and shoulders. All that tension from grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw will creep into those areas, causing chronic pain and discomfort.

Listen To Your Body

We mean this literally. When your jaw is misaligned, you will likely hear it every time you open and close your mouth.

Listen for clicking or popping noises in your jaw when you chew or yawn.

We Can Help Your Jaw Heal!

One of the benefits of being our patient is convenience. We can create your own customized mouth splint right here in our office so you don’t have to travel to another specialist or wait weeks for pain relief.

The splint fits like a mouthguard, and you wear it at night while you sleep. It will keep your jaw in a better position so the joint can heal, which will alleviate inflammation and the stress of grinding your teeth.

Our TMJ solutions also might include other relaxation and stretching techniques, as well as jaw massage or nutrition counseling to promote healing.