Harm Done By TMJ Disorder And Bruxism

There are different threats to your smile that should be taken seriously. Cavities are certainly a concern, but you also need to worry about the risk of physical injury certain unresolved issues can pose. One of those issues is bruxism, as a tendency to grind your teeth while you are asleep can have a serious impact on your dental well-being and smile. Bruxism is often connected to poor jaw alignment and movement, an issue known as TMJ disorder. This can make it difficult for you to bite and chew food, it can cause stress on your joints and muscles, and it can make you more likely to have regular headaches as well as issues with neck and shoulder pain. Our Bellaire, TX dentist’s office is prepared to assist you by treating these issues in order to protect your smile and improve your quality of life.

How Can Untreated Problems With Your Jaw Affect Your Life?

The alignment and health of your jaw can be more important to your daily life than you realize. Uneven movements and poor positioning can lead to tension on your joints and muscles that results in problems with stiffness, pain, and movement difficulty. It can also make you more likely to develop a habit of grinding and clenching your teeth, and that can put you at risk for problems with dental damage. These are issues that our practice will look out for during a regular dental exam. We can also meet with you if you reach out to discuss your recent troubles between appointments.

Discussing Treatment To Address Trouble With Teeth Grinding And Poor Joint Alignment

Through oral appliance therapy, we can treat problems with poor joint alignment and movement, which can take care of stress that causes you to experience pain and stiffness. This can also help with nightly bruxism. To address TMJ issues, we can provide an appliance that eases tension on your jaw joints and muscles by correcting the way your jaw sits in alignment at rest. For problems with grinding and clenching, we can offer an appliance that will keep your teeth apart while you are asleep. While this can be enough for some individuals, you may require additional work to fully resolve your difficulties, including work to straighten teeth.

Orthodontic Work Can Lead To Better Dental Function

Orthodontic services can do more than just fix problems that negatively affect the way you look. With this kind of corrective work, we can actually make it easier for you to bite and chew in a way that reduces stress on your joints and muscles. We can discuss work with traditional aligners, but you may be a good candidate for treatment with more conservative clear appliances.

Talk To Your Bellaire, TX Dentist About Dealing With TMJ Disorder And Bruxism

Through treatment for TMJ disorder and bruxism troubles, we can preserve your smile and help you improve your quality of life. If you would like to find out more, please reach out to Contemporary Dental And Orthodontics at 713-668-9119.