Temporomandibular Joint Therapy
Waccamaw Oral Surgery & Medical Spa is proud to offer Botox! Botox is used to reduce tension in muscles and nerves.
You may have heard your friends and family describing their diagnosis of TMJ, with symptoms of a clicking jaw or earaches, while others refer to it by a different name, TMD. Though these terms can sound the same, they refer to different conditions and we are here to offer you a better understanding of what Myofascial pain is and how it may affect you.
TMJ is an abbreviation for the temporomandibular joint which connects the mandibular, or your lower jaw, to the temporal bones of the skull. The TMJ is one of the more unique joints within your body as it allows you to move your jaw forward, backward, and side to side so that you can chew, talk, sing, yawn, and more. This joint can be found just in front of your ears on both sides of your head.
Any problem with the muscles, ligaments, discs, bones, or the joint itself are known as temporomandibular disorders or TMD and refers to the actual disorder, where the jaw joint is misaligned and causing problems such as pain, inflammation, and inability to move or operate the jaw. However, these problems or conditions are often incorrectly called by the joint name of TMJ instead. Or it is incorrectly diagnosed, and is actually Myofascial pain.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Pain and pressure in the neck, face, and temporal region
- Headaches
- Earaches
- Pain or pressure around the ears, face, and behind the eyes
- Tenderness of jaw muscles
- Limited jaw movement
- Swelling of the face
Treatment of TMJ:
Botox, a neuromodulator, is injected into both the mandibular and temporalis muscles to relieve pain for the same amount of time as cosmetic injections, typically 12 weeks. Botox is used to reduce tension in muscles and nerves.
We recommend fabrication of a hard acrylic night guard prior to the botox injections.
The night guard that we provide is made of hard acrylic. Patients can be mislead to purchase over the counter night guards that can actually do more harm. We
We have an electronic scanner that is able to professionally image your unique bite without without having to use impression material, which helps to decrease gag reflex.
