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TMJ Treatment in Nashville, TN
Pain Relief Built Around Your Diagnosis
Night guards or BOTOX® in one place
Bite exam and X-rays pinpoint the cause
Modern studio in
The Gulch
Why Nashville Professionals Choose
Gulch Dental Studio for TMJ Treatment
Jaw pain has more than one cause, so we start by finding yours. Here is what patients across downtown Nashville count on us for.
What Nashville Patients Say About Our TMJ Care
Google Reviews
TMJ Treatment Cost
and Financing
The cost of TMJ treatment by our dentist in Nashville, TN, depends on what your exam and jaw X-rays show. A custom night guard, fitted from impressions sent to a trusted dental lab, is priced differently than BOTOX for TMJ, which is administered in a single in-office appointment.
Insurance and Payment Options
Coverage varies, so our team helps you verify whether your insurance will contribute toward TMJ care. We accept CareCredit® financing, which offers plans with little to no interest for qualified applicants, along with American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa. Ask us about our Dental Savings Plan when you visit.
Effective Options for TMJ Pain Management NIGHT GUARDS AND BOTOX THERAPY
We offer two primary treatments for TMJ disorder. The treatment that is right for you will depend on the cause and stage of your condition. In cases where our doctors are not able to help you develop an effective treatment plan, we can refer you to a specialist.
Custom Night Guards
To help our patients suffering from bruxism, we provide custom night guards that you can wear while sleeping. These night guards are designed specifically to fit snugly around your teeth. Ensuring a proper fit is of the utmost importance as it will protect your teeth from the harmful effects of teeth grinding, as well as provide cushioning for your jaw muscles. To create an appliance personalized to your smile, we will need to take an impression which will be sent to our trusted dental lab.
BOTOX Injections
Muscle relaxants are a common and effective treatment for TMJ issues. At our office, we proudly offer BOTOX injections to help relax the muscles around the jaw joints. Relaxing these muscles prevents them from clenching, grinding, and creating tension. This can provide relief from jaw pain and headaches. Our doctors can inject BOTOX in our office during one quick appointment. Patients may begin to feel muscle tenderness disappear almost immediately.
Isn't BOTOX a Cosmetic Treatment?
Some patients are surprised when we recommend using BOTOX as a treatment for TMJ-related problems. It is true that BOTOX is best known as a cosmetic treatment, but it produces its cosmetic results by working as a muscle relaxer. When it relaxes facial muscles, it can reduce wrinkles. When applied to the TMJs, it can loosen up the muscle and alleviate pain and tightness. Treating TMJ disorder with BOTOX is low-risk and widely accepted among the dental community.
BOTOX injections are often recommended to relax overactive jaw muscles. This helps prevent excessive clenching and grinding of the teeth that can strain the jaw.
Understanding the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
The temporomandibular joint is the hinge joint that connects the mandible to the skull. The temporomandibular joints are put under considerable pressure from speaking and chewing. Temporomandibular disorders often develop when there is too much stress on the TMJ, affecting the jaw joint as well as any surrounding muscles, tendons, and nerves.
What Is Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder?
You have one temporomandibular joint on each side of your jaw. Damaging one or both of these joints can lead to localized and more widespread discomfort and pain. In the simplest terms, TMD occurs when the jaw joints become inflamed. This can happen for a number of reasons, including:
- Misalignment
- Injury
- Poor posture
- Stress
- Disk erosion
- Arthritis
Why You Need Joint Disorder Treatment
Left untreated, these symptoms can have negative effects on your quality of life, including persistent jaw discomfort, sleep impairment, and pain in the neck, shoulders, and back. TMJ disorder can also lead to orthodontic complications that cause long-term damage.
Because these symptoms are not exclusive to TMJ problems, it is important to seek diagnosis from experts in temporomandibular joints.
The Benefits of Treating TMD
Relief
The treatment options available at Gulch Dental Studio in Nashville, TN, can relieve persistent TMD symptoms like headaches, a locked jaw, clicking when opening the mouth, and pain around the jaw joint.
Improved Quality of Life
If you've been living with TMJ issues for some time, you may not even realize how you are modifying your life because of your symptoms. Perhaps you are neglecting a healthy diet because it is difficult to chew, or you are limiting your social life because of persistent headaches. Treating your TMD can allow you to live life to the fullest.
Better Long-Term Health
Problems with the TMJ can lead to troublesome oral health issues like worn teeth, decayed teeth, or serious joint damage. Treating TMD early can prevent these risks from becoming serious.
Learn About Your
Treatment Options
COME VISIT GULCH DENTAL STUDIO
You don't have to live with facial pain and limited jaw movement. The team at Gulch Dental Studio in Nashville can remedy temporomandibular disorders using different methods. When you come in for a consultation at our office, we can determine if physical therapy exercises in addition to other TMJ treatment options will be beneficial to you. Contact Gulch Dental Studio online or give us a call today.
How Do I Know If I Have TMD?
You may be suffering from TMJ disorder if you experience the following symptoms:
- Pain or tenderness in your jaw
- Difficulty chewing
- Migraine-like headaches
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
- Pain in and around your ear
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
- Stiff or tight neck muscles
- Shoulder pain
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Muscle spasms in the jaw
Many patients also experience a grating sensation as their jaw moves. Others may hear a popping sound when chewing or opening their mouth.
Did You Know?
*According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Am I a Candidate for Treatment?
You may need treatment if you:
Know You Grind Your Teeth
Some people don't realize that they grind their teeth through the night. However, if you are aware of this issue, you should acquire a night guard from a reputable dentist to reduce the risk of TMD or damaged teeth.
Are Living in Pain
TMJ issues can cause chronic pain in the head, jaws, mouth, and neck that cannot be alleviated with over-the-counter drugs. No one should go through life always in pain, especially when treatment is available that can help.
Can't Open Your Jaw
Perhaps the most recognizable symptom of TMD is the inability to fully open your mouth. If not addressed, problems with lockjaw can become a very serious issue while you are eating and speaking.
TMJ Timeline
When you come to our Nashville practice for a TMJ consultation, you can expect roughly the following timeline:
FAQs ABOUT TREATMENT FOR TMJ DISORDER IN NASHVILLE
Can a TMJ disorder just go away on its own?
In certain cases, yes. TMJ disorders may only be temporary, coinciding with a brief bout of teeth grinding or a particularly stressful time in a person's life. It's important to speak about your joint dysfunction symptoms with your dentist, particularly if your symptoms are chronic or getting noticeably worse over time.
What causes teeth grinding (bruxism)?
Teeth grinding is most often caused by poor dental alignment, excessive stress, and the use of certain medications. In many cases, TMJ pain and other TMD symptoms can be reduced by properly treating a patient's teeth grinding.
Is there any way to prevent a TMJ disorder?
Since teeth grinding and temporomandibular disorders are often linked, prevention methods often involve anything that reduces the risk of clenching teeth at night. This might include orthodontic care, stress-relief techniques, and proper posture.
What if non-invasive treatment is not effective?
If mouth guards, BOTOX injections, and lifestyle changes do not significantly relieve TMD symptoms, more invasive therapies may be recommended. This includes arthrocentesis, which uses needles to wash out the jaw joint and remove scar tissue; arthroscopy, which allows surgeons to identify and remove inflamed tissue through a small incision; and open surgery on the jaw joint.
