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Prevention and
relief
Grinding or Clenching Teeth
 TMJ
is an acronym for Temporomandibular joint (jaw
joint), a joint that slides and rotates just in front of
your ear. Mastication (chewing) muscles connect the lower
jaw to the skull, allowing you to move your jaw and chew,
swallow, speck and communicate.
TMJ
problems (Temporomandibular Disorder, TMD) can affect
children and adults, and affects more women than men. The
condition is often cyclical.
Certain
tasks, either mental (stress) or physical (strain), can
cause or aggravate TMD. Other reasons can be lost or crooked
teeth, overbite, malocclusion (teeth fit together poorly),
head or neck injuries including whiplash. Most discomfort is
caused from overuse of the muscles, specifically clenching
or grinding the teeth (Bruxism) that generally occurs
during sleep.
Children often grind their teeth when teeth
are erupting. This is not uncommon, nor is it a problem if
it is mild. However, more severe cases can lead to a
malocclusion that often requires Orthodontics to avoid
developing TMJ problems.
TMD
symptoms
-
 Clenching
or grinding teeth
-
Aggravation of your periodontal disease.
-
Sensitive
teeth when no dental problems can be found
-
Worn
spots (attrition), malocclusion, brittle teeth that require
crowns
-
Noise
(clicking, popping, crunching) when opening or closing the
mouth
-
Reduced
opening or locking of the jaw
-
Pain or
tenderness in the jaw or face muscles
-
Frequent
temporal (side) headaches
-
Earaches
or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
-
Pain or
soreness around the jaw joints, especially when eating
-
Noise
that sometimes disrupts your partner's sleep
Treatment
of TMD
-
 Replace
missing teeth or correcting a bad bite (the way your teeth
come together).
-
Physical
therapy, posture training
-
Practicing stress management and relaxation techniques.
-
Eating
soft foods and avoiding chewing gum may help relax the
muscles.
-
Taking
pain relievers and using ice and hot packs
-
Breaking
bad habits (thumbsucking, tongue thrusting, habitual biting
on objects or fingernails, mouth breathing)
-
Control
clenching or grinding during the day
-
At night,
use a nightguard, a custom-fitted maxillary small
mouthpiece, which helps reposition the mouth to ease strain
on the jaw and teeth, alleviate symptoms and prevent further
damage.
Treating with a
nightguard at the initial stage is very cost effective
compared to not treating the problem and risking damaged
teeth followed by with crowns, bridges or dentures.
In order
to determine the best course of treatment, an accurate
diagnosis is important.
Consult with Dr. Hoffmeyer to
determine if you are suffering from TMJ Syndrome and weather
it is
affecting your periodontal condition.
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