When you have soreness in your jaw or face, this could mean issues like TMJ disorder or bruxism. We want you to recognize the warning signs of these concerns, so you know when to seek treatment and protect your smile. In today’s blog, your Prairie Village, KS, dentist talks about how we can use an oral appliance to restore function and balance to your bite!
The Causes and Risks of Jaw Joint Disorders
What causes us to start grinding our teeth so frequently at night or experience jaw pain? This could be due to high stress levels in your life or even untreated TMJ disorder, and vice-cersa. Factors that upset bite balance could also be responsible, such as tooth loss, misalignment, injury to the face or jaw, or issues with the growth of the jaw and the eruption of your teeth. Without treatment, the pressure from grinding and clenching your teeth could wear down teeth and even crack or chip then, so you’re now more vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and dental infection. Don’t risk discomfort or the loss of your teeth, talk to us about treatment!
The Diagnostic Process
To begin, we will conduct a detailed examination of your smile from multiple angles with advanced digital imaging, so we can identify the presence of wear and friction that could indicate bruxism or TMJ concerns. We also assess your bite balance and underlying factors that could lead to teeth grinding. We then make a diagnosis with precision and plan your treatment, so you can enjoy better oral health and avoid dental damage. For some, we could offer orthodontics to correct misalignment, prosthetics to address missing teeth, or even custom restoration to improve overall bite balance. But in most cases, we help with an oral appliance.
Treatment with an Oral Appliance
The oral appliance is created based on detailed digital images we take of your smile, which we use to design and fabricate an oral appliance. The device will look like an oral appliance, but is custom-fitted for your smile and worn as you sleep. Once in place, the device will reposition your jaw to ease tension on the joints. The oral appliance also places a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth to prevent further damage to your smile. With crowns or even dental bonding, we can often repair any damage to protect your smile’s health, function, and appearance. The oral appliance will be simple to use and clean, and travel with you too.
If you have any questions about how our team will diagnose and treat issues with your smile like bruxism, or if you have painful symptoms that need attention, then contact our team today.
SCHEDULE YOUR NEXT VISIT TODAY
We can offer care to help prevent your smile from being damaged by bruxism. You can call Dr. Browne in Prairie Village, KS, at 913-901-8585.
