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TMJ Problems and How You Can Prevent Them

Posted on 11/22/2021 by Dr. Dani Stansell

Do you find yourself experiencing headaches, neck pain, or jaw pain? If so, it might be time to take a look at your oral health. The condition is caused by stress and can lead to other issues like sleep apnea and depression. You must seek treatment for this issue before it becomes too serious. This blog post will cover what TMJ disorders are and how you can prevent them.

What is TMJ, and what are the symptoms?

You need to know that TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, which is a jaw bone located on each side of the head. The disorder occurs when this joint becomes misaligned and causes pain in your lower face or around your ear. Other symptoms include headaches, neck stiffness, an inability to open the mouth wide enough, clicking sound during movement, and more severe cases can lead to hearing loss.

There are also two types of TMJ disorders: internal derangement and external derangement. Internal derangements occur when there's damage from arthritis as well as other diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast, external derangements happen due to whiplash or sports injuries causing cartilage/ligaments damage to the joints.

Other possible causes of TMJ disorders include teeth grinding, clenching your jaws while you sleep, and over-enthusiastic gum chewing. If there's any chance that this is what's causing or worsening your symptoms, then it might be time for a dental exam.

How to prevent TMJ disorder

If you're noticing any of the symptoms listed above, it's important to seek treatment immediately. But if you're not experiencing any issues yet, there are ways to prevent TMJ disorders from appearing in the future.

Avoid gum chewing or too much hard candy- this can cause pressure on jaw joints and teeth, so be sure to avoid them as often as possible, especially before bedtime when you may subconsciously grind your teeth while sleeping. Also, try not to clench or open mouth excessively during chewing; instead, use the proper technique by using back teeth first then front ones for grinding/chewing food slowly. This will help protect against damage caused by overactive muscles pushing down on weak jaws, which causes gradual misalignment.

Avoid clenching or opening your mouth too much when you're stressed- the muscle that controls jaw movement is called masseter, and it works based on how tense/relaxed our muscles are. So if we clench teeth frequently, this will increase stress levels and create tension in these muscles, which can cause TMJ problems down the road.

We hope you have found this information helpful in understanding TMJ problems and prevention. If you are experiencing jaw joint disorder symptoms, schedule an appointment to see our team at the office today or call for any questions or comments.

Locations & Hours

Brier Creek

9400 Brier Creek Parkway, Ste 204
Raleigh, NC 27617-4879

Phone: 984-477-0177
Fax: 919-249-1375

Office Hours
Mon: 8:30am - 6:30pm
Tues: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wed: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thur: 7:30am - 4:30pm
Fri: 8:00am - 2:00pm

North Raleigh

1911 Falls Valley Drive, Ste 107
Raleigh, NC 27615

Phone: 984-206-4242
Fax: 919-249-2145

Office Hours
Mon: 8:30am - 6:30pm
Tues: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wed: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thur: 7:30am - 4:30pm
Fri: 8:00am - 2:00pm

Knightdale

1101 Great Falls Ct, Ste 102
Knightdale, NC 27545

Phone: 984-733-0330
Fax: 919-415-1849

Office Hours
Mon: 8:30am - 6:30pm
Tues: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wed: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thur: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Fri: 8:00am - 2:00pm

Stansell Dentistry Associates, 9400 Brier Creek Parkway, Ste 204, Raleigh, NC 27617-4879 ~ 984-477-0177 ~ stanselldentistry.com ~ 10/10/2024 ~ Page Keywords: dentist Raleigh NC ~