If you’re experiencing jaw pain in Clear Lake, please know you’re not alone, and there’s help available. At Cindy T. Flanagan, DDS, we understand how frustrating it can be, always having to manage or deal with your discomfort. You’ve seen doctors and specialists, only to continue to have unwanted issues. The good news is that our Clear Lake TMJ treatment is effective and designed to give the relief you need and deserve.
The truth is that millions of Americans struggle daily with chronic facial pain, commonly referred to as temporomandibular disorder (TMD). It’s caused by a variety of conditions that affect your temporomandibular joints (TMJ), muscles, and nerves in and around your face. This is a highly unique and complex system, unlike any other in our bodies that doesn’t get enough credit for its critical role in our everyday lives.
Am I Experiencing TMD?
Some of the most common symptoms of TMD are often overlooked, leaving this condition to go misdiagnosed as another medical condition. If you or someone in your family is experiencing any of the following, it could be because of an issue with your TMJ:
- Recurring pain in and around your ears
- Headaches and migraines
- Neck pain
- Tenderness in our jaw and surrounding muscles
- Difficulty chewing or speaking without pain
- Popping or clicking in your jaw
- Sensitive teeth that are worn down from grinding or clenching
- Difficulty opening and closing your mouth
- The inability to get a good night’s sleep
- Numbness in your arms and fingers
- Stiffness in your shoulders and back
While there are many reasons that TMD can occur, it’s most commonly caused by issues with your bite like misalignment, arthritis, stress, and trauma to your jaw.
Understanding Your Clear Lake TMJ Treatment
Dr. Flanagan relies on centric relation to help ease your TMD discomfort and end your symptoms. This treatment philosophy is based on the idea that there’s a specific position that will allow for the ultimate, more comfortable alignment of your jaw muscles, nerves, and joints. We strive to have all of these things work together in harmony and focus on the prevention of further issues. Using our advanced diagnostic tools and technology, we’re able to conduct comprehensive screenings. Depending on the severity of your case, we can refer you to a trusted specialist for more in-depth care. However, we can treat most cases in the comfort of our Bay Area dental office using:
- Mouthguards
- Orthodontics
- Occlusal equilibration
- Adjustments of your existing dental work
We want to help ease your pain and find the ideal positioning for your jaw. Centric relation helps us do this and so much more. Everything we do or every solution we offer is intended to alleviate your stress and constant irritation.
