Do you have stiffness or pain in your jaw? Are you also getting neck pain, earaches, or migraines? All of that is a sign you may have TMD, a serious condition that can hurt your teeth and seriously affect your life. Call us at 248-329-3552 to schedule your next appointment. Dr. LoCascio took advanced courses in identifying and treating TMD. With his help, you can soon get relief.

Why Your Jaw Pain Leads To Other Pain

TMD stands for “temporomandibular disorder.” It’s when your jaw joints (called TMJ) get sore and overworked. When that happens, they don’t work right. You can have some stiffness in your jaw and some pain.

All your muscles are interconnected, including the ones in your TMJ. When those muscles start having problems, the pain can travel to other muscle groups nearby. People who suffer from TMD often have more than jaw problems. They can also suffer from:

  • Earaches
  • Neck pain
  • Headaches
  • Migraines
  • Shoulder pain
  • Upper back pain
  • Lockjaw

That’s why you need to call Highland Advanced Dental Care today for a new appointment. TMD can be treated, but if you ignore it hoping it will go away on its own, you could be setting yourself up for a lot of pain. Let Dr. LoCascio use his experience and training to help give you some relief and let your TMJ heal up.

The Dangers Of Bruxism

There’s one more problem related to TMD: bruxism. This is when you grind your teeth without realizing it. Many people do this even while they sleep, but it can happen at any time of day.

There are two problems with bruxism:

  • Grinding teeth creates worn, thin spots in your enamel. This makes your teeth weaker.
  • It puts extra wear-and-tear on your jaw joints.

That means bruxism can make your TMD hurt more.

Call our Highland, MI dental office today and make an appointment with Dr. LoCascio. His advanced training in TMD can help him identify if you have bruxism or not. If you do, he has the skill and experience in treating both problems.

How Stress Makes It All Worse

TMD leads to bruxism, which can make TMD worse. The problem is that stress makes both more painful.

When you’re stressed, your muscles tend to tense up. This forces your jaw joint muscles to clench tightly, taking away the rest those muscles need to heal up. Without such rest, your TMJ will get more sore. That can lead to more TMD problems, including bruxism. All of that can stress you out, which makes this worse again, and so on. With stress, this can quickly become a vicious cycle.

It’s all but impossible to avoid stress in this day and age. Instead, call Dr. LoCascio today and make an appointment to get TMD and bruxism treatment.

Treating Bruxism And TMD

At our Highland, MI dental office, you can get one treatment that helps with both TMD and bruxism. A bite splint is like a mouthguard but more comfortable. You wear it over your teeth at night.

  • If you have bruxism, the splint protects your teeth. Grinding won’t damage your enamel.
  • If you have TMD, the splint repositions your jaw slightly and takes pressure off your jaw joints. This lets them finally get some rest to heal up.

Call us TODAY at 248-329-3552 to schedule an appointment for TMD treatment and bruxism treatment. Dr. LoCascio has advanced coursework in these problems, giving him a strong background to match his extensive experience. You can finally get some relief from that sore jaw.