If you experience pain, clicking, or discomfort in your jaw, it may be an indication of a temporomandibular joint disorder. This condition affects a large percentage of the population. Roughly 10 million Americans are said to suffer from TMJ disorders, yet, the number of people who get treatment for the symptoms is only a fraction of that. Since TMJ symptoms have a slow onset, painless inconveniences are manageable enough to ignore. When left untreated, these can become chronic, painful, and can affect the aspects of your daily life. To prevent the adverse effects of this condition, we offer TMJ treatment here at Bridgeview Dental.
Did you know that TMJ disorders have long-term effects that can significantly affect your quality of life? We will discuss these effects below.
Migraine Headaches
TMJ disorders have been linked to migraine headaches and other types of severe headaches. Frequently, the joint that connects the jaw to the skull becomes unaligned. In order to compensate, the muscles in your face, neck, jaw, and other parts of the body become stressed or fatigues. Due to this, you’ll experience debilitating headaches that will lead to missed opportunities in life.
Discomfort in your back, neck, and shoulder
The problems do affect not only your jaw area but also the other areas of the body. The muscle fatigue usually starts at the jaw and moves to the vertebrae to cause pain and aching in your shoulders, back, hips, and more. As time passes, other joints in your body can develop alignment issues that lead to even more discomfort on different body parts.
Hearing damage and loss
Since the jaw connects your skull close to the location of the ear canal, inflammation of the muscles around that area can have reaching effects. The area surrounding your ear canal is sensitive, and it can be affected by the symptoms of TMJ disorder over time. Severe cases can cause tinnitus (ringing in your ears), and other damages that ultimately lead to hearing loss. The early treatment of this disorder can help prevent hearing loss.
Don’t let TMJ negatively impact your life. Book an appointment with us at BridgeView Dental to avail of Neuromuscular Dentistry and TMJ Treatment in Austin, TX. We are located at 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., #J240, Austin, TX 78746.
