Hi everyone. It’s Dr. Holland here from Castleton Orthodontics. Let’s talk about temporal mandibular disorder or “TMD.” Problems with the jaw joints can arise for a variety of reasons such as clenching, night-time grinding or arthritis that already exists in your joints. In everybody’s jaw joints, there exists a disc, a disc made of cartilage and this cartilage sits between the top of your jaw joint and the base of your skull. When your jaw moves around, it’s this disc that makes sure everything moves smoothly and pain free. When you’re suffering from TMD, you can experience clicks in your jaw joints, pain in your jaw, or episodes of open lock or closed lock where you feel you can’t entirely open or close your mouth. Proper treatment of TMD begins with a good and accurate diagnosis. After your diagnosis, your orthodontist might prescribe an occlusal splint, changes to your clenching or grinding behavior, sometimes a night time muscle relaxant to help you stop grinding in your sleep. All these will work together to help take stress off your jaw joints and bring you back to a normal, healthy state of function.
That’s what I have for you about temporomandibular disorder. If you’re suffering from TMD or you want braces and you’ve had some TMD in the past, come on down to Castleton Orthodontics for a free exam and we’ll let you know all about what we can do for you.
