In over 25 years of practicing dentistry in Flagstaff, I have noticed a huge rise in the incidence of TMJ(short for temporal mandibular joint) pain. I suppose this is due to the fact that life is overall more stressful and people are clenching their teeth more. ( I have not done any research on this it is just my observation.)
People may have pain in their jaw for many reasons. It is usually either pain coming from the joint itself of from the muscles associated with it.
When it is from the muscles, and this is usually a result of night time clenching or grinding, we can often get people some immediate relief by making a night guard. This is a custom made dental appliance that fits over your teeth and you wear to bed at night. Please note that a sports guard that you heat up and make yourself will usually make it worse. This is because they are soft and work your clenching muscles even harder!
Dr. Bacon of Flagstaff can evaluate your TMJ problem. Often wearing a custom made night guard will alleviate TMJ pain. We have recently been helping patients with laser therapy, which sends a deep relaxing heat into the muscle. Sometimes we may refer you to see a TMJ specialist. There are none in Flagstaff but if need be there are a few down south.
Call our Flagstaff Downtown Dental at 928-774-1168 to be evaluated. To read more about our office in general click here.
