What Is the Best Treatment for TMJ?

While the treatment for TMJ disorder is known, the cause isn’t. However, professionals know the disorder is a dysfunction of the temporomandibular (jaw) joint, and they believe this may be caused by unhealthy habits or trauma. It’s possible that aging and genetics are factors. Your particular case of TMJ disorder could be the result of:

– Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis in your jaw
– Damage from clenching or grinding your teeth
– Misalignment of your teeth
– Misalignment or dislocation of your TMJ due to a blow to your jaw or cheek
– Excessive pressure on or tension in your TMJ due to gum chewing, nail biting, jaw clenching, etc.
– The effects of whiplash

The cause of your particular case of TMJ disorder may be different, but the treatment will likely be the same or similar.

For minor cases of TMJ disorder, simple TMJ stretches and exercises can help a lot. The stretches will reduce muscle and joint tension, relieving pain. This can be done during a flare up or for long-term benefits. Massage and exercises will work similarly. Strengthening exercises for the TMJ can offer long-term symptom relief, so this may work for you. These stretches and exercises are taught by the professionals here at Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders.

Stretching and exercising the TMJ will help in minor cases of TMJ disorder, but they may not be the best treatments for more significant cases. However, our clinic has a very effective and proven treatment for significant cases of TMJ disorder!

For the more significant cases of TMJ disorder, oral appliance therapy is recommended and proven to work. It can actually address the underlying causes of the disorder, like a misaligned TMJ, so oral appliance therapy is indeed an effective treatment for the disorder. In many patient cases, the therapy reduces symptoms by 90%. This is very significant for the patient, and it’s the closest professionals can get to an actual cure for the disorder.

In oral appliance therapy, a patient uses an oral insert that’s custom-made so it can accommodate the patient’s oral anatomy. The insert helps the TMJ rest in a natural, relaxed, and healthy position, and this relieves the patient’s pain and other symptoms.

Oral appliance therapy is approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as well as our professionals here at Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders! We’re proud to be able to provide the treatment to you.

You can find the treatment here at Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders, and the first step is to have a simple consultation with us. During this consultation, we’ll assess your particular case of jaw pain and make a determination as to whether you have TMJ disorder. If so, we’ll suggest stretches, exercises, and likely oral appliance therapy.

Our clinic has many different locations in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. We ask that you visit our Locations page for our locations’ addresses and contact information, and from that page you can book your consultation with us. Alternatively, you can call our head office instead.

We look forward to hearing from you and helping you with your TMJ issue or disorder! You can be as confident as we are that one of our treatment methods will work for you and relieve your pain.