TMJ Disorders Treatment in Delhi

What is TMJ?

TMJ, also known as Temporomandibular Joints, are located in the facial area. It is in front of the ears on both sides of the face. It is a connecting joint that connects the lower jawbone to the skull and helps in the jaw’s movement for speaking and chewing. At times, this joint dysfunction is due to different reasons. The disorders cause mild to severe pain in the TMJ area due to inflammation and irritation in the ligaments and muscles of this area.

Symptoms of TMJ

Some of the common symptoms of TMJ disorder indicate the signs:

• Constant Headache
• Severe discomfort and pain in the jaw can be seen prominently during morning hours or in the late afternoon.
• The clicking sound of the jaw
• Slight changes in Upper and lower teeth alignment
• Teeth sensitivity that does not occur due to any dental issues
• Jaws getting locked often
• Limitations in the movement of the jaw
• Pain around the shoulder, back, face, neck, and even in the eyes
• Grinding and clenching of teeth (Bruxism)
• Feeling numbness in the fingers
• Swelling in the sides of the face
• Biting issues due to the misalignment of the upper and lower jaw teeth

Candidates for TMJ

The injury to TMJ muscles can be due to reasons such as:

• Arthritis in the joint
• Bruxism ( grinding of teeth and also clenching of teeth) puts extreme pressure on TMJ joints and muscles.
• Stress causes tightening of the facial muscles that lead to clenching of teeth.

Diagnosis of TMJ Disorders

The diagnosis of TMJ disorders at SmileMint Studio is made with a thorough dental checkup that involves different methods, such as:

• Observation of the movements of the jaw when the mouth is opened and closed
• Pressing different areas of the face to know the areas of pain
• Checking the joints by asking the patient to open and close the mouth

For further diagnosis, imaging devices are used to know the affected joints. The imaging devices are: Panoramic X-ray: This imaging device gives a broader view of the teeth, jawbone, and TMJ. MRI Scan: Also known as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, this scanning shows clear images of the tissues of the jawbone and tissues joints of the jaw. It can determine the position of the jaw disk to understand the jaw locking and inflammation that determine the results of the possibility of dysfunction of TMJ. CBCT Scan: In this method of scanning, thousands of 3D photos are taken of the teeth structure, which is interconnected later to know the detailed facial anatomy such as facial tissues, sinuses, teeth, and jaw. Treatments for TMJ Disorders Dentists can also treat TMJ disorders with non-surgical methods, injections, and surgical treatments. But we at SmileMint Studio recommend non-surgical techniques that can cure the disorder and suggest surgical procedures only as a last resort.

Home Remedies 

Some of the conservative methods that may help ease the pain and discomfort of TMJ disorders are mentioned below:

• Applying heat and cold packs a few times a day will be very helpful in the joint pain of the jaw.
• Eating soft foods is very important to reduce the overworking of the jaw, which may lead to surgical procedures. Avoid hard, crunchy, and sticky foods that may cause the jaws to work overtime.
• Taking painkillers medications can help relieve the discomfort and pain of TMJ issues. The dental practitioner provides higher or mild dosages of these painkillers, considering the severity of the TMJ disorders.
• The dentist may suggest using a night guard or splint, considering the jaw condition. A splint is used all the time to ensure the correct upper and lower jaw position. Night guards are also for the same reason, but they are used only at night.
• The dentist may suggest dental treatments such as dental bridges, crowns, and braces since it focuses completely on the alignment of the teeth.
• Some jaw movements that can be avoided or reduced to the bare minimum are yawning, minimal chewing of food, and avoiding bad postures of the neck and shoulder.
• You must keep the upper and lower teeth structure slightly from each other to avoid any unwanted pressure on the jawbone.

 Non-Surgical Treatments

While home remedies are necessary to avoid any further damage of TMJ, some of the non-surgical treatments implemented for TMJ disorders are: Botox: It is also known as Botulinum Toxin, which is sent of injection used to reduce the inflammation in muscles and also reduce the mass of the muscles. Ultrasound: This is a health therapy provided to the jaw area to relieve discomfort and improve the jaw’s movements from its stiffness. Radio Wave Therapy: This therapy involves stimulating the jaw muscles and increasing the blood flow to provide relief in the form of electric waves that are very minimally stimulated. Injections: This method is known as “trigger points,” through which the injection is given directly to the facial muscles by targeting the trigger points to relieve severe pain.

Surgical Treatments

The dentist will only suggest surgical procedures when the other form of treatment does not render the required results. Some of the surgical treatments for TMJ are: Arthroscopy: This procedure involves inducing anesthesia, making a small incision in front of the ear, and inserting a small instrument containing a camera with light. The camera captures images of the surroundings of the TMJ, and it can be viewed on a video screen by the dentists to assess the situation. If there are misaligned disks or inflammation in the tissues, then it will be corrected by surgery. Arthroscopy is a surgery that has fewer complications since it is performed by making tiny incisions making the recovery process faster and with very minimal scars on the face. Arthrocentesis: This surgical procedure is performed when jaw locks are in the closed mouth. The procedure begins with inducing local anesthesia, and the needles filled with sterile fluids are injected into the affected joint. The joint is washed out, and the scarred tissue is removed to ease jaw movements. Open-Joint Surgery: This surgery involves long incisions in the jaw area for correcting issues when there is wear and tear in the bone structure of the jaw joint or if there is severe scarring of the bones in the joints of the jaw. Open-joint surgery is also performed on the detection of tumors in TMJ. This surgery method involves a long healing period since long incisions are made, but it is the best solution for severe issues of TMJ. SmileMint Studio has one of the best dental teams with years of expertise handling TMJ issues. They will perform the required treatments assessing the situation well to restore normal jaw movements and bring back your smile again.