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TMD

Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, Oakleaf, Orange Park

Temporomandibular joint disorder, often referred to as TMD or TMJ, is a painful condition that can cause progressive dental problems, many uncomfortable symptoms, and a threat to your general health. It often goes undiagnosed, meaning a lifetime of pain, but when detected there are some very effective treatments

Only a neuromuscular dentist has the knowledge and technology to properly diagnose and treat TMD. TMD treatment can radically change your life for the better.

Symptoms of TMD

One of the hallmark symptoms of TMD is recurring, unexplained headaches. They may be misdiagnosed as migraines leading to years of ineffective treatment and pain.

Other symptoms may be:

Progressive dental problems that do not improve with treatment
Failing dental restorations
Tooth grinding
Jaw and facial pain
Neck and shoulder pain
Back pain
Numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers
Clicking or popping jaw sounds
Locking jaw or jaw that gets stuck
Poor posture
Loose teeth
Receding gums
Ringing ears (tinnitus) and/or earaches
Depression – from living with pain and failing to find any cause or cure for it

Diagnosing and treating TMD

One of the great things about TMD diagnosis is that it involves immediate pain relief. To pinpoint your jaw misalignment, Dr. Blankenship measures and records jaw muscle movement, jaw muscle electrical activity, and jaw joint sounds. He may use transcutaneous electrical neural stimulation (TENS) to relax your muscles. The TENS unit is small and battery-operated and administers mild electrical shocks via electrodes that Dr. Blankenship will place on your head, face, and neck.

After 30 or 40 minutes of TENS treatment, your jaw muscles will be relaxed and your lower jaw in its correct position. This is the start of pain relief and the goal of your TMD treatment will be to make this relaxed jaw position permanent.

Once the extent and nature of TMD is determined, Dr. Blankenship will devise your treatment plan. For some patients, this is as simple as breaking bad oral habits, but it can involve:

Wearing a custom orthotic appliance to retrain the jaw muscles
Reshaping the teeth or using dental crowns to replace old crowns that may have been poorly shaped
Using Invisalign aligners to straighten all your teeth if they are crowded and crooked

To stop the tooth grinding and keep your jaw in the proper position, Dr. Blankenship may have you wear a mouthguard such as the Under Armour or Pure Power Mouthguard (PPM).

If you are experiencing any symptoms that suggest TMD, please call or email us to schedule a neuromuscular dentistry consultation. Our office is in the Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville, Florida area.