Whenever you have a specific health issue, it is always best to make sure that you consult a specialist for that condition. For example, you need to see a cardiologist if you have some problem with your heart. If there is an issue with your skin, you want to book a consultation with a dermatologist. When you are having problems with TMJ, or temporomandibular joint disorder, you need to see a good TMJ doctor in Fort Worth.
What is TMJ?
The jaw muscles, or temporomandibular joints, and the connecting joints of the skull and jawbone are those that act as a sliding hinge. These joints allow you to use your mouth for speaking, chewing and swallowing and they are located on each side of your head right in front of your ears. Whenever this system of the socket and the ball is not working correctly, you could be faced with a variety of TMJ disorders. These are problems that are sometimes referred to as TMD, TMJ, or TMJD.
When you have some pain in your jaw area, and there is a pain in the joint and the muscle area where joint movement is controlled, you need to see someone who understands how to treat it. In most cases, women will have TMJ more often than men, and even though this is a condition that can take place at any age, it is common with people that are between 20 to 40 years old.
It can be a bit difficult to determine precisely what causes TMJ disorders, with some of the possible causes being:
- Grinding or clenching teeth
- Trauma or injury of some sort, such as the impact that can damage the jaw or joint alignment
- Arthritis that leads to joint cartilage damage
- Disc erosion
- Disc dislocation
Know the Signs
When you are dealing with TMJ issues, you could have one or more of the following symptoms:
- Stiff jaw muscles
- Tenderness or pain in the chewing muscles or jaw
- Limited movement or locking of the jaw
- Pain that radiates from the neck, face or jaw
- Grating, popping or clicking when opening or closing the mouth
- Difficulty or discomfort while chewing
- Pain in and around the ear on either side of the head, or both
While there are no standard tests that can diagnose a TMJ disorder, seeing a good TMJ doctor in Fort Worth will give you the insight and care that you are looking for. This can often be a difficult diagnosis to make, so we invite you to come by to see us at Clear Fork Healthy Dental Care for a consultation and examination. Not only will we work to diagnose your problem with TMJ but we can also come up with a course of treatment that suits you best.
Clear Fork Healthy Dental Care is available as your TMJ doctor in Fort Worth so that you can get the advanced TMJ therapy that you need. We craft all appliances in-house, and we will work with you to make sure we can do our best to eliminate the discomfort you have been having.