TMJ Treatment

If you place your fingers in front of your ears and open and close your mouth, you can feel the temporomandibular joint. This jaw joint connects the jaw with the base of the skull and has several muscles attached to it. Your abilities to speak, eat, and open your mouth all depend on these critical joints and muscles.

When this complex network of bones, muscles, and nerves become stressed or misaligned, the joint becomes irritated, and various symptoms can occur.

Irritation in the TMJ can cause pain across the body. Symptoms of TMD include:

• Chronic headaches
• Neck and shoulder pain
• Jaw discomfort
• Facial pain or swelling
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Limited jaw movement
• Discomfort when chewing or swallowing

TMJ symptoms can greatly impact the quality of your life. Fortunately, Dr. Koch is here to help!

Dr. Koch will help you determine if TMJ Disorder is the source of your issues. Causes of TMJ can include:

• Teeth grinding and clenching
• A poor bite or misalignment
• Stress
• Poor posture

With advanced imaging technology and a thorough exam, we will help you learn more about the condition of your jaw and which treatments might work for you.

We commonly treat our patients with a TMJ splint, which is a small oral appliance made of resin or plastic. This small device is a proven and easy treatment to reduce strain on the muscles of the TMJ. The splint fits over a front few teeth, like a mouth guard, and is to be worn at night to improve the health and function of your TMJ.

The oral appliance works to ease the tension on your TMJ so that it can heal properly. Another treatment we can provide to help with that healing is the application of Botox.

Botox relieves muscle tension by reacting with the signals sent between the muscles and the brain. Not only has this been shown to dramatically help with TMJ treatments, but it can also lessen the frequency and pain of chronic migraines, as well as several causes of TMDs, such as teeth grinding or severe jaw clenching.

Combined with an oral appliance, Botox can help ease tension, reduce pain, and ultimately heal your temporomandibular joint.