TMJ DENTIST IN SUNNYVALE, CA

TMJ Disorders

Are you looking for a TMJ dentist in Sunnyvale? If so, we invite you to schedule a consultation with our dental office by calling (408) 648-2137. During your first appointment, we will conduct a gentle examination and ask questions in order to understand the full extent of your symptoms and how they are impacting you on a daily basis.

It is critical that you see a dentist that appreciates the nature of TMJ and the need for caution during dental care. Otherwise, you could further irritate your jaw and muscles, leading to further discomfort.

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Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ disorders) are fairly common and can manifest in various ways. There are two temporomandibular joints in your body – one on each side of your head, located in front of your ears. TMJ, as a condition, develops when there is a problem with these joints as they connect the jawbone to the skull, or there are problems with the muscles responsible for chewing. Many people suffer from the condition without knowing that they have it and are, therefore, unable to seek treatment.

As a TMJ dentist, we treat patients throughout Sunnyvale, CA that have this condition and recommend coming in at the first sign of irritation so that you can begin treatment before it becomes severe.

Unconnected Symptoms

TMJ disorder will often manifest itself in ways that appear to be unconnected to the jaw. This may include severe headaches or ear, neck, and face pain. While many people attribute these symptoms to stress or issues with their spine, they are often a result of this condition and can be easily rectified.

More Obvious Symptoms

Other more obvious symptoms include difficulty chewing or biting down, a popping or clicking sound when opening and closing the jaw, and jaw pain.

Severe TMJ Cases

In some cases, TMJ becomes so bad that a person can’t even open their mouth. This is the extreme, and there are almost always signs along the way. By the time people reach this point they have typically been experiencing discomfort throughout the day, difficulty chewing and a lack of mobility with their jaw in general.

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Causes of TMJ

As a TMJ dentist, we find that one of the most common causes of TMJ is clenching or grinding teeth at night. During times of high-stress, many people fail to have a restful nights sleep and take out their frustration by inadvertently clenching their jaw closed or grinding down their teeth while sleeping. This can manifest very early in life, with children even being impacted by teeth grinding.
When this takes place, the muscles and joints are forced to remain in a tense position, leading to pain in the joints and muscles the following morning. If this happens only occasionally, you may have a minor headache and feel better the next day. If, however, this is occurring on a nightly basis, TMJ symptoms can begin to manifest and you will begin to feel less and less comfortable.
You may want to pay particular attention to whether or not you have a headache or jaw pain after having a stressful day at work or being upset about something. If there is no correlation and the pain is consistent, you should seek treatment immediately. Alternatively, if your discomfort it only now and then, you can bring up your concerns at your next dental examination in our Sunnyvale office.

TMJ TREATMENT IN SUNNYVALE

Treatment Options

We always recommend starting with the least invasive treatment method. Start with gently massaging your jaw muscles a couple of times per day. We can show you how to do so without irritating the area or causing a flair up.

You may also want to analyze your diet to determine if any particular foods may be too difficult to chew, thereby making the problem worse. At Unique Dental Care, we often find that patients are increasing their jaw problems by regularly eating foods like tough meat and nuts that require more forceful chewing, placing stress on the muscles and jaw. By switching to soft foods or ones that are easily pulled apart, you may start to feel better immediately.

In our TMJ dentist office, we provide a non-invasive solution for helping patients to feel better. We can make an impression of your teeth and use it to create a custom night guard for you to wear while sleeping. The night guard is made of a clear and comfortable plastic that surrounds your upper and lower teeth, preventing your teeth from touching and your jaw from clenching. Very often, our patients report feeling better immediately.