Do you have a hard time chewing your food? Or does it hurt when you open your mouth to yawn or speak? If so, you may be suffering from a joint disease known as temporomandibular disorder (or TMD). Consulting a dentist in Toronto is your best option to get the appropriate treatment for jaw pain.

Possible Causes of TMD

While the real cause of TMD may not yet be fully understood, the following factors are known to contribute to the condition:

* Stress: Emotional stress can lead to unintentional teeth clenching and tightening of muscles around the jaws. Prolonged muscle tension can eventually lead to pain in the area.

* Clenching or grinding teeth: These actions are accompanied by tightening of the jaw muscles, which if done often or habitually, can cause muscle pain.

* Facial trauma or injury: A strong blow to the face may fracture the jaw or misalign it causing pain during mouth movement..

* Joint diseases: such as rheumatoid arthritis can affect the jaw joints and muscles causing pain with movement.

* Incorrect jaw growth: which causes misaligned teeth can also make it difficult to bite and chew and lead to TMD.

* Other factors: Worn or missing teeth, gum disease, ill-fitting dentures and biting hard objects may also lead to TMD.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of TMD Aside from jaw pain, the other signs of TMD are:  *Strong jaw pain in the morning

* Difficulty in opening and closing your mouth, in some cases you may experience a locked jaw

* Unexplained headaches and pain in your neck.

* Clicking or popping noise when you open your mouth, chew or yawn.

Treatment

Because other conditions exhibit similar symptoms, it is best to visit your dentist in Toronto who can make a correct diagnosis of your problem. Your dentist will make a thorough examination of your history and mouth to determine the cause of your symptoms.

Depending on the findings of your dentist, the following treatment options for TMD may be recommended:

* Referral to a specialist like an orthodontist to correct teeth alignment problems or a physiotherapist, chiropractor or behavioral therapist who can help ease muscle pain.

* Take pain or anti-inflammatory medicine to manage pain or relax muscles

* Wear a night guard or bite plate which prevents you from biting against your teeth. Joints and muscles around your jaw will also relax in the process..

* Referral to oral surgeon when none of the treatments work and you find it very difficult to open your jaw.

Canadians can rely on the expertise and track record of their dentist in Toronto to address TMD.

 

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