FAQs

1. What is TMJ Syndrome?
TMJ Syndrome or TMD is basically a dental disorder. It is when the jaw becomes misaligned, which causes the sufferer a lot of discomfort.

2. Who suffers from TMJ Syndrome?
Anyone can suffer from TMJ Syndrome. However, older people tend to be more prone to get this jaw disorder.

3. What are the symptoms associated with TMJ Syndrome?
TMJ Syndrome or TMJ Disorder is associated with a lot of symptoms. The most common would be persistent and intense headache where pain killers are ineffective. Other symptoms include locking jaw, clicking and popping sound when opening or closing the jaw, ringing ears, and pain on back and shoulders. Inflammation on the face is also a symptom of TMJ Syndrome as well as grinding teeth and change in bite pattern.

4. What causes TMJ Syndrome?
The cause of TMJ Syndrome is not really known. But, there is research where TMJ Syndrome have been linked to hereditary factors. This means that if your parents have suffered or are suffering from this condition, it is very likely that you too will get it. Other factors linked to causing TMJ Syndrome is trauma, bruxism or grinding of the teeth, and even poor dental work.

5. How is TMJ Syndrome diagnosed?
TMJ Syndrome is diagnosed by analysing the bite pattern of the sufferer. Through this, the doctor will know if the jaw is misaligned. Today, the K7 Evaluation System is used to analyse the bite pattern and properly diagnose TMJ Syndrome.

6. What are the treatment options for TMJ Syndrome?
In the past, invasive surgical procedures were necessary to align the jaw into proper position. Also, pain killers where your best option to achieve symptom relief. However, with today’s advancement in dental technology, Orthotic Therapy is now used to align the jaw and help get rid of the uncomfortable symptoms forever.

7. Are the treatments for TMJ Syndrome painful?
Orthotic Therapy is not painful. This particular treatment will involve you to wear a dental appliance which is custom made for your condition to gently move your jaw in to the ideal position.

8. What kind of dentist should I look for to treat TMJ Syndrome?
TMJ Syndrome is still a poorly understood disorder. It is important that you should consult a dentist that specialises on Neuromuscular Dentistry. This field of dentistry concentrates on the teeth, jaw, and the muscles and nerves in it. They have the necessary knowledge and equipments that can help treat TMJ syndrome.

9. Why is TMJ Syndrome hard to diagnose?
TMJ Syndrome is quite hard to diagnose because of the migraine-like symptoms it gives off. Because the symptoms are very similar to migraine, doctors tend to misdiagnose it for migraine and the sufferer ends up with pain medications that are not really effective.

10. Can Divine Smiles treat TMJ Syndrome?
Yes. Divine Smiles offers Neuromuscular Dentistry and have the necessary equipments to properly diagnose and treat patients with TMJ Syndrome. Here at Divine Smiles, we don’t just offer better looking teeth, but we also specialise in treating dental disorders, such as TMJ Syndrome.