Living with jaw pain can affect your ability to focus, it can dampen your mood, and it can interfere with your ability to simply relax. Because problems with jaw pain can also affect you by causing headaches, limited dental function, and neck pain, going without treatment can seriously intrude on your quality of life. These types of jaw problems are often referred to as TMJ dysfunction. At our Katy, TX dental office, we can help you deal with this problem by determining what issue or issues might be contributing to your discomfort, and finding the right solution. This could involve doing work to restore your dental health, or it can involve making changes to your current bite function.
By Studying Your Bite, We Can Find The Cause Of Ongoing Jaw Pain
A problem with your bite could be the reason you are struggling with so much discomfort when biting and chewing. We use Tekscan pressure mapping to examine your bite equillibration. What this means is that we can determine if your bite function is even, or if you are moving your jaw in a way that might aggravate the joints and muscles. If the problem can be treated by correcting your jaw movement, we can work with you to make improvements. With that said, the process of restoring your bite could require orthodontic work, or the placement of dental crowns on teeth that are not providing you enough support when you bite down.
Recognizing And Addressing TMJ Dysfunction
TMJ dysfunction can cause chronic pain in the form of headaches, jaw pain, and facial and neck soreness. This issue can stem from bite problems, but there are many other causes, including physical injuries that affect your jaw, and arthritis in the joints. A special appliance can be helpful for people who have this condition – when worn, it can change the position of your jaw in order to take away stress.
Restoring Your Dental Health To Improve Your Bite
You might be unable to resolve your jaw pain until dental work is performed. If problems with your bite function are traced back to poor dental alignment, we can talk to you about orthodontic work, including work that involves the use of Invisalign appliances. We can also check for any problems with individual teeth that might make it harder for you to bite and chew. The placement of dental crowns can be required to improve your dental function.
Talk To Lathrop Dental Pain About Dealing With Your Jaw Pain
If you are struggling with jaw pain, Lathrop Dental Center can help. By identifying the reason you are having these issues, we can point to the right treatment solution, and improve your quality of life! To learn more, please call our office in Katy, TX at 832-437-3849.