Relieve jaw pain! Free CT scan and initial consultation (worth $150 value) to discuss TMJ treatment.
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What is TMJ? TMJ, or temporomandibular joint disorder, is a painful condition in which the temporomandibular joint, the main joint in the mouth, is overworked or misaligned. It can lead to headaches, oral and neck pain, and difficulty opening and closing the mouth. Many patients describe an audible popping or clicking sound when yawning or chewing. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often mistaken for stress or something else other than a bad bite! If you’re experiencing jaw and tooth pain, facial pain, ear pain and congestion, headaches, or neck, shoulder and back pain, you could have TMJ. TMJ can also cause numbness in the arms, hands, and fingers, along with clicking, popping or locking of the jaw. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your California TMJ specialist Dr. David Frey today.
Pain around the head can be caused by a muscle imbalance with the TMJ and Bite
Sleep Apnea or hypoxia can have a TMJ-related component in approximately half the cases. Relieve Your Pain With a TMJ Specialist in Beverly Hills
Phase 1 is a test and is reversible. What that means is that the treatment is made to resolve or greatly diminish the pain symptoms you are experiencing without doing anything irreversible like surgery. The way we do this is by trying to find what we call, “physiological rest” of all the muscles of the head and neck and hold it there with a bite splint. We accomplish this by finding harmony between the muscles of the head and neck, the bite, and the TMJ joint itself. We do that by working backwards! We first relax all the muscles of the head and neck using sophisticated medical instruments like TENs machines and Electromyography sensors.
PHASE 2
Once a bite is found that is in harmony with the muscles of the head and neck and the TMJ Joint and your pain is greatly reduced or completely resolved we want to maintain the position that the splint is holding your bite together indefinitely. There are several ways of accomplishing this. The most common ways are utilizing porcelain such as crowns and veneers or orthodontic braces to maintain the position of the jaw and muscles that we found in Phase 1
Like a Richter scale showing an earthquake, EMG data allows us to assess how unhappy the muscles are. It also guides us into a bite position where we know the muscles are more relaxed. Getting the EMG muscle data as low as possible is the key to getting you out of pain! Low EMGs tells us that you are relaxed and in a healthy position. Using a TENS machine and other techniques to decompress the jaw joint will also help get these muscles as calm as possible.
TMJ can be caused by a number of issues. Some of these include:
We recommend that you see a TMJ Specialist in our Beverly Hills office right away. There is no substitute for a professional evaluation with a dentist who uses a 3D CT scan along with an evaluation of your head and neck and your bite and condition of your teeth! There are a few tests you can try at home to get a sense of possible TMJ. If you suffer from facial pain, migraine headaches, or other symptoms – these tests can point to TMJ
Los Angeles TMJ specialist Dr. Frey is a leading expert in Neuromuscular dentistry and has treated thousands of patients with persistent pain from TMJ disorder. Neuromuscular dentistry emphasizes the importance of the position of the jaw, teeth, and surrounding tissues.
In our Beverly Hills office, TMJ treatment is divided into two phases: Phase 1 is stopping the symptoms or severely diminishing the symptoms of the TMJ disorder, and Phase 2 is preserving the results of the treatment. This can be accommplished many different ways. For example, holding the corrective bite position with porcelain crowns and veneers, or with an orthodontic procedure thus moving the teeth into the corrective bite position found in Phase 1. . Phase 2 can also involve permanent splint therapy, bite adjustments, and doing nothing.
You will then wear a custom-shaped orthotic (basically a re-aligned bite) to rehabilitate the jaw muscles. These “trial” bites can be fixed or removable. The fixed orthotic is bonded to the top of your existing teeth and looks and feels perfectly natural. It will not alter your speech, and no one will notice you’re wearing it. The process takes a month or less for your muscles to acclimate to the new bite position, and many patients report headaches, back and neck pain, ringing in the ears, vertigo, and many other symptoms associated with TMJ dissipating or completely vanishing.
The three components of your bite – the way your teeth come together, the muscles of mastication, and the temporomandibular joint – all three must work together for correct function. Many times, when the three are not working together, patients report experiencing symptoms like headaches, jaw pain, facial pain, ear pain, dizziness, tinnitus, neck, back, and shoulder pain.
The pain is due to the continued chronic, the stress of the misaligned jaw trying to find alignment with the muscles and the jaw joint or vice versa. Considering we use our bite, muscles, and the temporomandibular joint every day, the pain can be debilitating and feels like the body cannot heal it on its own.
Sometimes, it’s like a straw that breaks the camel’s back. ” I just had a dental crown when it started”. The body does everything it can to keep your body in equilbrium. When something disrupts this equilibrium, pain can start.
Jaw pain, facial pain, ear pain, headaches, migraines, neck, shoulder, and back pain, dizziness, tinnitus, numbness in the arms, hands, and fingers, clicking, popping, or locking of the jaw.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact Dr. Frey–the best TMJ dentist in the Los Angeles area–today to find out if you have TMJ
These three acronyms all point to the same thing – temporomandibular joint disorder. Sometimes TMJ is used to solely describe the joint. Sometimes TMD is used to describe a patient who is experiencing symptoms and has an imbalance in the muscles of the head and neck, the jaw joint, and the bite. TMJD is rarely used, and simply adds the D for “disorder”. TMJ is a syndrome that can involve painful symptoms like jaw pain and headaches which are most common.
How Can our Los Angeles TMJ Specialist team Help
Dr. David Frey, a Beverly Hills, CA 90210 dentist passionate about creating beautiful smiles, graduated from UCLA and the University of Pacific School of Dentistry. After serving under privileged children, he opened a cosmetic dental office servicing Beverly Hills, CA 90210, 90211, 90209, 90212 and 90213 pioneering porcelain veneers, TMJ Treatment, Periodontal Treatment, Dental implants. He now uses the latest techniques to serve patients in Beverly Hills and London. His work has been featured in media and he holds patents and authored books. He prioritises continuous learning and enjoys family, travel, and a healthy lifestyle.
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