Your TMJ (temporomandibular joints) may be small, but they have an important responsibility. They actually connect your lower jaw (the mandible) to the skull on either side, helping you to chew, speak, and perform other essential functions. Unfortunately, if any dysfunction occurs in this area, it can result in big problems for a patient’s wellbeing and overall quality of life. At Sage Dental Care, Dr. Branco and Dr. Kim are happy to offer personalized TMJ therapy that alleviates discomfort and creates long-term improvements. You deserve to smile and really mean it!
Our practice has two convenient locations in South Reno and North Reno, NV – contact us at either today to schedule your first appointment, or if you have any questions for our team.
TMJ disorder is a complex condition that may manifest itself differently from patient to patient. However, there are some symptoms that are relatively common and should signal you to contact our doctors at Sage Dental Care right away to schedule a consultation. They include:
During your appointment, our team will carefully examine the health and function of your jaw joints in order to determine whether or not TMJ disorder is the likely culprit of any concerning discomfort. If our findings are positive, we’re likely to recommend an occlusal splint and/or restorative adjustment to correct the problem. Wearing an occlusal splint (“nightguard”) can help decrease the negative forces that occur because of teeth grinding (a common source of TMJ disorder), which allows muscles to relax and find a more comfortable resting position. Alternatively, if your bite is problematic or off-balanced, providing precise restorative adjustments can help create a more harmonious meeting of the teeth that relieves harmful symptoms as well.
Our team is ready to help you find lasting relief from your chronic jaw pain! However, before we begin your TMJ treatment, we encourage you to ask any questions you might have about your condition or the solutions we offer. We want to put any concerns you have to rest before asking you to make any commitments. The following FAQs cover several TMJ-related topics that our patients often ask about.
The answer is typically yes, TMJ disorder is often curable. In fact, there are situations where the discomfort caused by a TMJ disorder can eventually go away on its own, although treatment may be required if the symptoms are severe enough to disrupt your daily life.
Whether or not TMJ therapy offers a permanent solution for your pain depends on what kind of treatment you’ve chosen. Since both occlusal splints and occlusal adjustments can be used to correct the underlying cause of your TMJ disorder, they tend to provide lasting relief.
Research has proven both occlusal splints and occlusal adjustments to be extremely safe options for treating TMJ disorder. That said, it’s important to make sure that a trained professional is overseeing every step of the process so that there aren’t any complications.
While surgery is a potential option for treating TMJ disorder, it’s normally treated as a last resort since there’s always some degree of risk involved. For this reason, we will always recommend minimally invasive methods of treating TMJ disorder first.
There’s no exact timeline for occlusal splint therapy because every patient is different. When you first start wearing your occlusal splint every night, your discomfort may start to diminish relatively quickly; after about six weeks, you should start to see a significant improvement in your symptoms. However, it often takes about three to six months to experience full relief, although some patients may need considerably more or less time.
It depends on the circumstances. In many cases, only one to three appointments are needed for us to make the proper adjustments to your smile, and each visit should take a relatively short amount of time. However, more complex cases might require additional appointments.
Once your teeth have been adjusted in a way that allows the forces of your bite to be evenly distributed, it shouldn’t be too long before you find relief from your TMJ disorder symptoms.
TMJ treatment can be covered by either medical or dental insurance based on the underlying cause of the disorder and the exact kind of treatment being performed. The specifics of your TMJ coverage may vary depending on what state you live in and what policy you have. For example, some plans might put a limit on how many dollars can be spent on TMJ therapy. Reach out to your insurance provider today to learn what coverage is available under your plan.
