TMJ disorders are just simply awful afflictions, and Nevada OMS surgeons have vast experience in treating disorders of the jaw joint-aKA, the temporomandibular joint.
These diseases, affecting millions of people yearly, are a result of dysfunction or disorders in the jaw that results in symptoms like chronic pain, restriction of movements, clicks, or grating sounds when eating or speaking. If left untreated, discomfort and limitations can greatly reduce the quality of life.
However, with appropriate diagnosis and tailored treatment approaches instituted in collaboration with our patients, aid can be provided. A comprehensive assessment on the basis of careful initiation of case history identifies potential causes for the potential physical or emotional contributors.
Digital panoramic X-rays are taken to offer a full view of the jawbone and joint spaces coupled with advanced three-dimensional CBCT scans, which reveal joint structures at one-millimeter resolution.
From this point, concentrated attention becomes focused on the elimination of other disorders that may sometimes be misdiagnosed as TMJ conditions and the determination of the underlying etiology responsible for joint disease. Most common etiologies include
– Malocclusion that produces excessive load on the joint
– Trauma or blow to the head or jaw from an accident
– Stress or anxiety-promoting parafunctional activities like clenching/grinding on the teeth
– Osteoarthritis-wearing out of the cartilage within the joint
Once the particular problem(s) are identified, our team works with the patients to create the best individualized management plan. This is usually done initially without surgery and may be combined with a variety of other modalities such as:
– A night-worn custom occlusal appliance that protects the teeth from grinding
– Gentle physical therapy exercises to retrain the muscles that support the joint
– A soft diet modification and lifestyle changes that reduce the amount of stress loads
– Injection therapies that deliver directly into the joint corticosteroids or PRP serum
– Oral medications provide only transient relief from pain and inflammation.
For those for whom other more aggressive techniques offer the best hope for definitive relief, arthroscopic or open joint surgeries minimized as they are with careful reconstruction and repair of damaged joint tissues are available. For those patients in whom a total joint replacement is required this too is an option.
Whatever treatment the course takes, our goal is to keep them comfortable first, and that is what our patients hear, understand, and feel cared for by this well-learned team at Nevada OMS: we try to remove disabling jaw problems to get patients back to maximal function and quality of life with a caring, team-based approach to care.
