A Damaged TMJ in Rocky Hill Downgrades the Quality of Life
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Your 21st birthday just passed. What an exciting time in your life! Not only have you joined the club of legal adults, but you’ve noticed your body is starting to age gradually as well. The first thing you noticed was the abnormal tooth pain that immersed the sides of your face as your large wisdom teeth started to erupt. Ever since then, you’ve been experiencing headaches and even clicking/sticking feelings in your jaws. Adulthood isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Now you’re caught at a fork in the road: do you ignore these symptoms or take the time to visit your dentist Dr. Thaddeus S. Michalski? Visiting your dental office could ease your suffering from long-term harmful effects of a possible disorder of your TMJ in Rocky Hill. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder can be managed without long-lasting impacts on your health if you seek the appropriate medical attention. The office of Dr. Thaddeus S. Michalski is here to help keep your smile healthy and functioning throughout the rest of your adult years.
What is “TMJ disorder?”
It’s important to understand the importance and function of TMJ to truly understand what is causing your discomfort. Temporomandibular joints are triangle-shaped joints made of muscle and cartilage. Each TMJ is located on either side of your head, just in front of your ears. These joints play a key role in how your mouth opens and closes—an important function for both eating and speaking. Without a properly functioning TMJ, simple tasks like enjoying a painless meal or engaging in a thoughtful conversation become uncomfortable.
Your TMJ can become damaged for several reasons, but the most common factors that cause TMD in Rocky Hill seems to be extreme stress, an improper bite, or sudden trauma to areas around your head and mouth. Common indicators of TMJ disorder include:
- Constant, serious headaches
- Difficulty opening and closing your mouth
- Persistent body pain in the head, face, or neck
- Stiffness in your jaw
- Ringing or pressure in your ears
- Sticking or clicking when opening and closing your mouth
What if TMJ disorder is left untreated?
Typically, TMJ disorder is not a life-threatening or long-lasting disorder. However, if you choose to let it go untreated, dysfunctional TMJ can negatively impact the quality of your life. Early studies of TMJ disorder studied jaw clicking specifically and patients that expressed discomfort in their jaws but did not seek treatment eventually developed severe jaw pain, intense headaches, body pain, and ringing in the ears. Patients also experienced levels of depression and anxiety because your sleep and mood become affected. Although all the risk factors of TMJ haven’t been discovered, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) currently conducts research to unveil the ins and outs of this disorder. But ask yourself, why would you not consider getting treatment when Dr. Michalski has an easy, effective, non-surgical solution for you?
How can Dr. Michalski help you?
If you find that your jaw is misaligned for any reason—say your wisdom teeth just came in and shifted your smile—Dr. Michalski is more than happy to help you realign your smile. Instead of just addressing the pain that you are experiencing, we address the source of your pain. Our office utilizes bite splint therapy to realign your jaw to the proper position. By realigning your jaw correctly, we can relieve pain and protect your smile from further damage. Before your TMJ disorder becomes too painful to stand, contact our office! We are here to help you maintain a beautiful, functioning smile.