TMJ Symptoms & Other Disorders

TMJ Symptoms Are a Sign of OSA and UARS

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) are two sleep disorders that lead to difficulty breathing while you’re asleep. 

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) are often misdiagnosed as ear or sinus infections, chronic migraines, and common jaw tension. Many people write off the issues they have as being due to simply being stressed out or from working too much.

While stress relief can help with a TMD, professional TMJ disorder treatment can help much more. 

Sleep-Disordered Breathing (SBD)

Clenching your jaw is often the result of your body defending your airway against obstructions. Sometimes these obstructions can be from within your own body, such as a large tongue that falls back into your throat while you sleep.

During sleep, all your body muscles relax, including your tongue. If your tongue doesn't have enough space to fit in your mouth, it can settle into your throat and get in the way of your breathing. Your body may clench your jaw to temporarily resume normal breathing by partially waking you up.

How Are Jaw Disorders Diagnosed?

Usually, you can tell if you have a jaw disorder on your own, but confirmation from a specially trained dentist or doctor enables you to get TMJ disorder treatment.

Your doctor will look at:

  • The relationship between your upper and lower jaws
  • How your teeth fit top to bottom to determine if your bite is off
  • Your airway
  • The position of your tongue
  • Your ability to sleep
  • Your overall posture
  • The muscle patterns related to chewing, head-neck movements, and breathing
  • Your jaw joint to see if there’s any popping, clicking, or asymmetric movements
  • The range of motion of your jaw joints, neck, shoulder, ribs, and hips

Treatment With Vivos Can Improve Your Life

The correct diagnosis can make a big difference in your life. Many times, TMD patients have seen many professionals but have received a wrong diagnosis and treatment hasn’t sufficiently corrected the issue.

Dr. Henrichsen will thoroughly examine your mouth and throat to determine if you have a TMD. Then, he can provide the treatment you need to improve your life. To learn more about TMJ disorder treatment, contact our Rochester, MN office by calling (507) 701-1127 or filling out our online contact form.

Effective TMD Treatment in Rochester, MN

What is a TMD Disorder?

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) occurs when there's an issue with your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This joint is located on either side of your head near your ears and connects your lower jaw to your skull.

When there's a problem with your TMJ, you may have difficulty eating and speaking. Fortunately, TMJ treatment is actually very simple and convenient with a Vivos appliance

The Causes of TMJ Disorders

The TMJ is a complicated area of the body, so it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of a disorder. While we may not know everything about the causes of TMD, effective treatments are available and there are several common origins of TMJ issues.

Some causes of TMJ disorders may include erosion or displacement of the disk in the joint, joint cartilage damaged by arthritis, and joint damage by an impact.

Symptoms of TMD

If you experience the following symptoms, Dr. Henrichsen recommends scheduling an appointment to have your jaw looked at by a professional. These are all common symptoms of a TMD:

Sore jawbone joint
Inflammation in the jawbone or joint
Neck and shoulder pain
Aching face and jaw
Swollen lymph nodes
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Headaches

TMJ and Arthritis: The Connection

Your TMJ can be affected by arthritis in several different ways. Osteoarthritis can wear down the cartilage around the disk in the TMJ and cause grating, pain, and misalignment of the jaw. Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause inflammation to your jaw and cause TMJ issues.

Minimally-Invasive Jaw Relief With Vivos

Vivos treatment has the ability to relieve jaw pain without the need for surgery. These issues are often caused by the structures around your jaw.

This revolutionary TMJ treatment works by slowly changing the structure of your mouth through the continued wear of a mouthpiece. These mouthguards look like sports mouth protectors, but they're designed to be comfortable while you sleep.

The mouthguard also protects your teeth from grinding against each other to relieve pressure in your jaw. Your appliance will also be portable and easy to carry with you if you're sleeping somewhere other than your home.

Exercises for TMJ Relief

Along with your treatment, there are exercises you can practice that may help relieve some tension and pain in your jaw. 

Relaxation Exercises

Relaxation exercises can help to give your jaw muscles a break from tension and train them to hold less stress on a regular basis.

Breathing exercises can help you relax and tensing and relaxing each muscle individually can help you to work your way up to relaxing your jaw muscles.

Strengthening Exercises

Strengthening the muscles around your jaw can help them to better support your jawbone. This can help you manage pain when you have a flare-up.

One such exercise includes placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Then, try to open your mouth as much as you can. Another exercise involving your tongue on the roof of your mouth involves pushing your lower jaw forward as much as you can while keeping your tongue in place.