TMD and TMJ Treatment

Stop Chronic Headaches With Your Sugar House Dentist

stop TMD headaches in Salt Lake City and Millcreek UT

Have you ever felt like…

  • You have a headache that doesn’t quit?
  • You often tend to wake up with a headache?
  • Your jaw aches, especially upon waking?
  • You frequently have earaches?
  • You have soreness or difficulty when you attempt to open or close your jaw?
  • Your jaw clicks or pops?
  • You have soreness in the jaw area that extends up into your face?
  • You habitually grind your teeth or frequently clench your jaw?
  • Your teeth are sore or are getting worn down?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMD. Many people mistakenly refer to this as TMJ, but TMJ actually stands for temporal-mandibular joint (TMJ), which are the two joints at the points of your jaw next to your ears. So, TMJ is the spot, and TMD is the problem at that spot.

TMD stands for temporomandibular disorder, and it is used to refer to anything that is wrong with the TMJ. Oftentimes, people with TMD realize they have a problem because they develop a recurring headache or a persistently aching jaw.

To treat TMD in Sugar House, we offer a device that you wear at night. The mouth guard/nightguard is similar to the mouth guards that athletes wear when they play sports. However, the specialized nightguard is crafted to prevent you from grinding your teeth at night, and it is custom made to fit your mouth specifically. If your TMD symptoms are severe, or when they flair up and are worse than usual, you can wear the mouth guard during the day as well.

What Are the Advantages of Using a Mouth Guard or Nightguard to Treat TMD?

    TMJ treatment with a Sugar House dentist Millcreek UT

  • Your TMJ pain may be reduced dramatically with the use of a nightguard. This is because the nightguard prevents you from clenching your teeth and minimizes the damage from grinding them at night (and during the day), which exacerbates any pain or problems in your TMJ, making the situation worse. As soon as you begin to clench your teeth, the nightguard stops that process and holds your TMJ in place. With you use the nightguard, it doesn’t allow you to move your jaw in the back-and-forth clenching motion that can cause so much pain to flare up in your TMJ.
  • The nightguard fits over every one of your teeth, to protect them so that you cannot grind them down anymore. With proper use, the nightguard may be able to prevent your teeth from getting worn down any further. This should stop your TMD from causing you to experience pain in your jaw or face, prevent recurrent headaches or earaches, and put a stop to any pain you may experience in your neck or upper shoulders, which can also be caused by moderate to severe TMD.
  • There is a better chance that you can get better, more productive and restful sleep if you are no longer clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth at night, which could also keep you from suffering with headaches caused by your TMD.
  • In its more severe state, TMD has been known to cause people to be unable to open or shut their TMJ. If this is the case in your situation, wearing the nightguard while you sleep, and even during the day, may be your best option for alleviating these painful and unpleasant symptoms.

If you suffer from pain in your TMJ due to TMD, or if you have a recurring headache that is causing you distress, call The Sugar House Dentist today! Dr. Theurer and our wonderful staff will do all they can to help you combat your TMD symptoms and relieve the pain in your head and TMJ if you are in the Salt Lake City area, including Millcreek UT!