| Dr. Ronald WidenTMJ/TMD Symptoms: Jaw Pain
Because TMJ is a dysfunction of the jaw joint, jaw pain is a very common symptom. A ‘bad bite’ in which your upper and lower teeth do not come together in proper alignment also disrupts the placement of the jaw and the surrounding muscles. This imbalance in the bite-jaw-muscle relationship is what causes the pain in the jaw. Pressure and forces on the teeth can cause bone to dissolve or extra boney projections to be built up.
Dr. Widen can help alleviate jaw pain related to TMJ by realigning the bite. Once the jaw is back into its most relaxed position the surrounding muscles can also resume their natural function.
Jaw pain can also be caused a muscle spasm. Sometimes, when a muscle is injured it will start to spasm. For example, if you have had multiple injections in the same area by your dentist trying to numb you for a deep cleaning or restorations this can occur. This muscle spasm will prevent you from opening your mouth. This is commonly called lockjaw or Trismus. This limited mouth opening can continue until the spasm is eliminated. Typically we can treat this temporary spasm with one or two TENS sessions. Your can go back to having your mouth opening like it was before. If you are experiencing lockjaw after a dental procedure call us to schedule a TENS session today.