Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Dentist in Houston, TX

If you experience pain in your jaw or struggle to open and close your mouth, you may be experiencing a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. These conditions can be caused by a variety of factors, including misalignments, teeth grinding, and stress.

Fortunately, there are treatments that can relieve TMJ symptoms and restore your bite to health.

Symptoms

The tmj dentist houston tx are on both sides of your face where the lower jaw connects to your skull. They work together with muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones to enable biting function. They can be strained or irritated by a number of factors, including misaligned teeth, habits such as clenching and grinding your teeth or chewing gum, and diseases like rheumatoid arthritis that affect the joint surfaces.

The symptoms of TMJ can range from mild to severe and can interfere with daily activities. If you have pain in your jaw, a clicking sound when opening or closing your mouth, or difficulty chewing or biting, it is important to see our TMJ dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Our doctors will take x-rays, listen to your jaw as you open and close your mouth, and feel the way your jaw moves. They will also review your dental and medical history, lifestyle, stress levels, and habits to help arrive at a diagnosis.

Diagnosis

The first step to permanent tmj dentist houston tx relief begins with a comprehensive digital examination in our comfortable Uptown office. This includes a review of medical and dental history, an evaluation of symptoms and a computerized bite test. The results of this allow us to determine if the problem is within the temporomandibular joint itself or whether it is an "extracapsular" disorder - a condition that affects structures outside the joint, such as the muscles.

Using the K7 Neuromuscular Evaluation System, we can determine the most relaxed, physiologic position of your jaw. From this we can arrive at a treatment plan to alleviate your TMJ pain.

Symptoms of TMD, such as jaw pain, headaches and clenching or grinding of the teeth are not only discomforting, but they also put your teeth at increased risk of damage and breakage. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent these issues from occurring, restoring the natural function of the TMJ. This will reduce the strain on your jaw and teeth, reducing wear and tear on the tooth surface.

Treatment

A TMJ disorder can significantly affect your quality of life with pain and dysfunction. Treatment options include medication, ice packs, eating soft foods and other home remedies that can only control or mitigate symptoms and not correct jaw misalignment or fix TMJ damage.

At Houston Dentists at Post Oak, we provide comprehensive tmj dentist houston tx therapy for long-term relief of your discomfort. After a digital TMJ exam and X-rays, we perform an analysis of your bite to determine the underlying cause of your discomfort. We utilize a special computer system called the K7 Neuromuscular Evaluation System that measures the most relaxed, comfortable physiologic position for your bite.

This data helps us establish a treatment plan that will alleviate your TMJ symptoms and improve your comfort for the long term. For patients who require full-mouth rehabilitation, dental crowns are used to cover and repair teeth that have been damaged due to TMJ issues. Our office offers high-quality porcelain dental crowns for beautiful results that look natural.

Prevention

Many patients seek treatment for TMJ symptoms like jaw pain, headaches and earaches, stiffness, and clicking or popping noises when they open or close their mouth. These problems often lead to further damage and can affect your daily quality of life. Dr. Van Slate focuses on relieving these symptoms by treating the underlying cause of TMJ in Houston, TX, through a non-surgical approach. This involves fitting you with a customized oral appliance to relieve the pressure on your jaw joints.