Save Your Smile With TMJ Treatment In Johnson City
You don’t have to deal with constant pain in your face, jaw, neck, ears, or shoulders. TMJ-related issues can cause those problems and even lead to teeth grinding, which harms the enamel on your teeth. The office of Dr. Jerry Farrell provides TMJ treatment in Johnson City to make these problems go away.
Dr. Jerry Farrell on teeth grinding and TMJ
Read Transcript Dr. Jerry Farrell on teeth grinding and TMJ
More often than not, the problems that people have with their jaws are orthodontic problems or trauma problems that they've had from accidents or sports. And those complicated kinds of problems that show up in your TMJ are also dramatically affecting your neck, your headache, comfort, and they're, what I call, “functional orthodontic problems.“ You're not functioning properly,you have mild facial pain and dysfunction, which is the muscle component of head pain. TMJ is simply a term to describe the joint and there's usually a constellation of problems related to what's going on with their ears, their muscles, their neuro musculature; they’re miserable. They're headache patient's.
You ask a patient in dentistry, “Do you have headaches?“ 9 out of 10 will say no. After two or three minutes of talking to them, you'll say, “Do you have pain up the back of your neck?““Oh, yeah.““Do you have pain in your ears?““Oh, yeah.“ They don't even think about telling their dentists about headaches. 90 plus percent of head pain symptoms, which are the biggest reason for going to the physician, are going for head pain. A good 90% of those are muscle tension headaches that are not organic disease that needs to be properly evaluated by a physician.
There's an enormous opportunity for dentistry to help those people. And again, it gets back to the facial balance thing. Invariably, they have shorter lower thirds that are in forward head posture, and they'll have all kinds of TMJ problems because when they're in forward head posture, their jaw's distalizing, they're coming off the pillow of their disk, and they're clicking. But it really relates to the forward head posture and the last thing they really need is to have an orthotic ... really to have something put in with no plan about how to handle the complicated challenges of getting them back balanced.
Probably, the premier aesthetic dental institute in the country is the Las Vegas Institute, and they've adopted neuromuscular dentistry and myocentric as the basis of how to rebuild things because when you do that, you have plenty of room for beauty, long teeth, gorgeousness—it puts them upright, it's ... and I actually got my fellowship in creating mandibular orthopedics in 1988 and that's kind of brings full circle our discussion about how that's impacted my practice for the last 30 years, 37 years.
Our treatment will:
- End jaw pain you’re experiencing
- Prevent teeth grinding to preserve your oral health, since grinding can wear down your teeth
- Help you get a better night’s rest
- Stop daily headaches or migraines from interfering with your life
Many dentists treat TMJ disorders, but few have the experience of Dr. Farrell. He achieved a Fellowship with the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics, where he intensely studied TMJ-related pain. He can quickly determine which treatments will provide you with long-lasting relief. Call 607-304-3993 for a consultation with Dr. Farrell to start feeling better from the treatments he provides at our office.
Solve Your TMJ Troubles With An Oral Appliance
Dr. Farrell will closely examine your mouth using equipment like digital X-rays and discover the source of your discomfort. He’ll then create a customized oral appliance that you can wear during the day or night to:
- Relieve strain on your jaw to give it a chance to heal
- Stop you from grinding your teeth and/or clenching your jaw
- Rest easier at night and feel much better during the day
- Prevent dental damage caused by a teeth grinding habit
If your TMJ-related pain is due to an uneven bite, Dr. Farrell can restore your bite and relieve your pain with orthodontics.
See Us If You Experience TMD Symptoms
Your jaw joints are called temporomandibular joints, or TMJ. Stress or pressure on your jaw can lead to temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMD. Oral or facial injuries can cause TMD, as well as arthritis or an uneven bite. TMD can make you grind your teeth at night or simply tighten your jaw during the day, which leads to headaches and further dental issues.
If you feel or hear clicking, grinding, or popping when you move your jaw, you are likely dealing with TMD. Other TMD symptoms include:
- A swollen face, especially around the jaw
- Unexplained earaches and/or ringing in the ears
- Frequent headaches
- A stiff and/or painful jaw
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
We’re here to stop your jaw and facial pain and make sure your smile remains in great shape. Call 607-304-3993 to discuss TMJ treatment in Johnson City with Dr. Farrell. You can also reach us through our online form if you have any questions or wish to request your appointment there instead.