TMJ Dentistry

Do you need a TMJ Dentist?

Sometimes the problem is simple and may just require you to wear special orthotics - one during the day, and another during the night. These will help to hold the TMJ (jaw-joint) in the correct position to allow it to heal. Then, in some cases, once you have healed you could then chose to either carry on wearing the orthotics using a permanent orthotic, or sometimes it is possible to be weaned off wearing them.

Sometimes the problem is more complex and may require the above treatment, followed by a treatment to help establish a new more balanced bite for the long-term. This treatment could be a course of FJO orthodontics.

Important- Chronic pain affects sleep.

Poor sleep leads to further pain, sleepy adults and hyperactive children.


Braces for TMJ Treatment

If there is a TMJ problem (temporomandibular joint pain, etc) and an orthodontic problem at the same time, sometimes it is best to fix the TMJ first by changing the bite position. This could be done by wearing special orthotics for approximately 3 months (it can vary though). This decompresses the TMJ.  Once the TMJ has healed it is sometimes possible to then align the teeth and jaws to the new bite position using FJO orthodontics. More on our treatments for TMJ page….

If the TMJ problem is very minimal, such as a click but no pains and good sleep, it might be possible to just have FJO orthodontics to decompress the TMJ and align the teeth. Some might call this braces for TMJ treatment, however,  proper TMJ therapy is usually recommended if the TMJ is the problem (as above).


TMJ Dentist


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