TMJ Treatment – Owasso, OK

What Is TMJ Disorder?

TMJ is an acronym that stands for “temporomandibular joint.” These are the joints that connect your jaw to your skull, and they’re responsible for a wide range of movement. You rely on smooth-functioning TMJs for normal daily actions like chewing, speaking, yawning, and laughing. So, when you begin suffering from TMJ pain in Owasso, it can severely impact your life.

If you are experiencing pain or some kind of malfunction with your TMJ, then you may have a condition called TMD: temporomandibular joint disorder. TMD may present with many uncomfortable symptoms that far surpass chronic jaw pain.

Common Symptoms of TMJ Disorder

You don’t want to ignore your TMJ disorder for too long, so it’s important to be able to recognize the symptoms associated with it. Below are some common warning signs that can point to TMJ problems; we encourage you to reach out to our team immediately if any of these symptoms sound familiar.

Headaches & Migraines

Do you have chronic headaches and migraines? We know how disorienting and excruciating head pain can be. A common reason why people experience chronic headaches and migraines is TMJ disorder. Your misaligned jaw can cause your muscles and nerves to become strained, resulting in pain. Additionally, your trigeminal nerve, which runs through your jaw joint, could become pinched and trigger a migraine.

Learn More About Headache & Migraine Treatment

Earaches and Constant Ringing in the Ears

Ear symptoms due to TMJ disorder? Yes, you heard that right! TMJ disorder can cause earaches, ear ringing, ear congestion, and hearing loss. Your jaw joint sits below your ears and can pull on ligaments connecting to your inner ear.

Difficulty Chewing / Biting

TMJ disorder can cause difficulty with chewing or biting. You may feel that you are unable to open your mouth all the way or that you need to exert more force than usual when chewing. This is a telltale sign that your jaw is out of balance.

Jaw Locking/Popping

Jaw noises are common for those with TMJ disorder. If you can hear your jaw click or pop when you open your mouth, it means your jaw is slipping in and out of place. Eventually, your jaw could degrade, and you could experience the alarming condition of a locked jaw, meaning your jaw could become stuck in an open position. If this happens, stay calm. Dr. Lim can safely unlock your jaw without causing further damage.

Neck & Shoulder Pain

Neck and shoulder pain are other common signs of TMJ disorder. Your jaw plays a significant role in your upper body. Your powerful jaw muscles become fatigued when pulling your jaw back into alignment. After some time, these muscles may seek support from your neck and shoulders, causing aches and pain in those areas.

Dizziness/Vertigo

Remember when we said TMJ disorder could affect your ears? Your ears help you balance and know where you are in space. You could become dizzy and disoriented when your jaw muscles pull your ear canal. Some people even experience vertigo and can no longer perform their favorite activities until they seek treatment.

Tingling Fingers & Arms

Your jaw muscles and bone structure can pinch the nerves that run through your joint. Over time, you may notice tingling in your fingers and arms.

Why Is It so Important to Treat TMJ Disorder?

Many people suffer from TMJ pain for years before discovering something can be done about it. So naturally, one of the reasons to seek medical attention from your Owasso dentist is that you don’t have to live in pain. You can regain your quality of life with the right treatment.

But there are other reasons why you need to seek treatment when you have TMJ disorder. The pain you feel is telling you that something isn’t right. Sometimes, your pain may go away when your situation changes. For example, in a temporary situation of high stress, your teeth grinding may go away after the situation passes. You may also experience jaw pain from body aches due to an illness, but that, too, will often go away with time.

However, when your check engine light stays on consistently, you know something is wrong, and without maintenance, the problem will worsen. The same is true for TMJ disorder. If your pain persists for 10 days without a reasonable explanation, seek TMJ treatment in Owasso. Without treatment, you could experience the following:

• Permanent nerve pain
• Permanent hearing loss
• Chronic pain disorder
• Vertigo
• Frequent headaches and migraines
• Depression and anxiety

Dr. Lim’s Unique TMJ Treatment Approach

There is no recognized dental specialty for TMJ treatment, so no dentist can legally be labeled a “TMJ specialist” or “TMJ dentist.” However, effectively treating TMJ disorder requires advanced training beyond what is offered in the basic dental school curriculum. Dr. Lim is one of only 500 fellows of the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies, where he received advanced training in neuromuscular dentistry.

Since 2003, Dr. Lim has treated many patients from all corners of the country. They have chosen to visit Dr. Lim for help with managing migraine pain, neck pain, and TMJ pain after hearing about how he has successfully helped others. Even other medical professionals have referred their own patients to Dr. Lim because of his reputation for successfully treating TMJ pain. Dr. Lim’s extensive experience and passion for TMJ treatment and providing much-needed relief for his patients make him an outstanding choice for this type of care. He is ready to alleviate your jaw pain and other TMJ symptoms with his effective holistic approach.

Our TMJ Treatment Options

Dr. Lim will begin by carefully listening to you as you describe your TMJ issue. He will then conduct non-invasive and pain-free tests on your TMJ with a CT scanner and an EMG (electromyography) device. He will also gently examine your jaw to explore its range of motion and determine any other factors in your bite that may be contributing to your discomfort.

At Life Smiles of Owasso, we aim to treat TMJ disorder without medication, as Dr. Lim is a whole-health dentist. He will first recommend some medication-free techniques to help you soothe and manage your TMJ pain, and then he will discuss with you some potential solutions to address the underlying cause of your pain. Treatment could be as simple as wearing a special appliance or could involve extensive work, such as a full-mouth reconstruction to balance out your bite. Learn more about these options below.

Occlusal Splints

An occlusal splint can be used to help stabilize the jaw, keeping it in a position where the jaw joints and the muscles around them aren’t exposed to as much strain. On top of that, an occlusal splint can be used to protect the teeth from unconscious clenching and grinding, which are common risk factors for TMJ disorder.

TENS Machine Treatment

TENS is short for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.” This type of treatment uses low-voltage electrical currents to help address your pain. The currents can stop pain signals from being sent to the brain. Furthermore, a TENS machine treatment can encourage the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers.

Equilibration / Occlusal Adjustments

If your TMJ disorder is due to problems with the alignment of your bite, equilibration may be suggested. In some cases, we will only need to make a few minor adjustments to your teeth; in other situations, a full-mouth reconstruction might be required. It all depends on the specifics of your disorder, which is why a detailed examination of your mouth and jaw is so important.