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TMJ Treatment in Sedona, AZ
Advanced TMJ Treatment for Long-Term, Individualized Solutions
TMJ (temporomandibular joints) disorders comprise a wide array of symptoms that range from irritating to unbearable. They can be caused by injury, muscle tension, grinding, and arthritis. Symptoms of TMJ disorders include problems chewing, swelling, headaches, jaw popping, the feeling like your jaw is sticking in an opened or closed position and more. At Peak Family Dental Care, we know that TMJ disorders can be more than just a minor annoyance. They can affect the overall quality of your life, make it difficult for you to fall asleep, and make mealtime a less enjoyable experience than it should be.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Bryan J. Shanahan has provided his patients with excellent care in the treatment of TMJ disorders. By providing long-term, individualized solutions tailored to every patient he sees and conducting thorough research and advancing knowledge of TMJ disorders, he provides innovative treatment options to each of his patients.
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TMJ Disorders Are More Common Than You Think
TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joint that connects your jawbone to the rest of your face and acts like a hinge allowing you to chew, talk, and do other essential tasks required for daily living. Disorders related to TMJ are quite common and affect up to 12% of people in the United States. This is despite the fact that Americans have some of the best teeth in the world. While any number of conditions can cause a TMJ disorder, common factors include:
- Impact injuries to the jaw or face
- A damaged disk in the joint
- A disk that has moved out of alignment
- Arthritis in the joint
- Grinding your teeth
- Misalignment of the teeth
- Stress or tension
Symptoms
TMJ disorders can go undetected for years depending on how they manifest themselves. For instance, some people experience headaches so they take an aspirin or two and forget about it. Nonetheless, the disorder can get worse over time. Common symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Earaches
- Hearing problems
- Shoulder and neck pain
- Locking jaw joints
- Grinding of teeth
- Pain in the face or joint
- Swelling of the face
- Popping or clicking sounds in the joint
Unfortunately, clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth can be both a symptom of TMJ and it can make your symptoms worse or even cause TMJ. Peak Family Dental Care will examine your symptoms and come up with a treatment plan that attacks the causes and not the symptoms.
Patients who suffer from TMJ disorders can experience a range of discomfort that can become severe and impact daily life.
Diagnosing TMJ Disorder
The goal of treatment at Peak Family Dental Care is to treat the underlying cause of the TMJ disorder. More often than not, folks go for decades treating symptoms like pain and headaches. While you can treat the symptoms yourself, when you come to the doctor, you expect a better solution. Right? Well, that’s exactly what we provide.
Peak Family Dental Care uses a cone-beam scanner and the T-Scan™ system to analyze the structure of your mouth, your bite, and the areas where your upper and lower jaw meet. Our office is also equipped with BioJVA™ Joint Vibration Analysis. This device measures friction and vibration patterns allowing us to determine if the joint is functioning properly. When the joint is functioning properly, we can move our focus to the muscles and soft tissues that maneuver your jaw. Dr. Shanahan only uses the best possible equipment for your dental treatment and has the experience necessary to determine the best course of action to fix your TMJ problems for good.
Effective Treatment Plans for Sedona, AZ Patients
Your TMJ disorder is not going away without intervention. Dr. Shanahan is an expert in the field of TMJ disorders and for the past two decades, has advanced his treatment options based on advances in medical engineering. Peak Family Dental Care implements a number of modern tools aimed at giving us the best possible information to diagnose the underlying cause of your TMJ disorder.
In cases where misalignment plays a major role, we can fit you with a custom orthotic that gently realigns your jaw. Both the joint itself and the surrounding tissues will benefit from this process and it also affords us useful diagnostic information to further customize solutions to your individual needs.
The TruDenta® System in an orthotic that relays information about your bite to the dentist using ultrasound, a low-level cold laser, microcurrent, and trigger-point manipulation to provide us with more diagnostic information while treating some of the worst symptoms. Over time, your treatment may include physical therapy to improve the health of the joint and the muscles in your jaw. This proven approach has improved the quality of life of many of our patients within six to twelve weeks.
If you think you’re suffering from TMJ, please give Peak Family Dental Care a call or talk to us online to set up an appointment today!
The use of advanced technology has allowed us to redefine traditional TMJ care. TruDenta therapy only requires patients to undergo one-hour sessions for about six to eight weeks. Not only are these tools and techniques gentler in nature, but their non-invasive approach can also contribute to the overall calm and relaxed experience we strive to create. Overall, patients can expect comfortable, spa-like treatment.