Virginia Beach TMJ Dentist
Limited Jaw Movement and Jaw Locking
A very common symptom of temporomandibular disorder (TMD / TMJ) is limited jaw movement or the locking of the jaw. You may feel that your lower jaw is catching when you open or close your mouth. There may be times where you cannot open your mouth wide enough to adequately place food in your mouth. In severe cases, patients puree food or eat only soft foods because of limited jaw movement. In Virginia it is not uncommon that a patient with a locked jaw must move the jaw to one side or the other in order to open the mouth to eat or chew. We often hear that a patient needs to “pop” their jaw in order for the jaw to open fully.
Limited jaw movement or locking jaw is often a result of malocclusion or bad bite. When the jaw is not properly aligned, it may cause problems with the disc in the jaw joint (TMJ). You may hear popping or clicking or have neck pain, upper back pain or headaches.
A Neuromuscular Dentist is trained to test, diagnose and treat patients who suffer from limited jaw movement or locking of the jaw.
Dr. Carol F. Morgan, DDS, can help your symptoms associated with TMJ disorders whether you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Williamsburg or any other surrounding city in Hampton Roads.
TMJ Dentist Chesapeake
Ringing in the Ears – Tinnitus
The medical term for ringing in the ears is tinnitus. Many patients who live in the Hampton Roads area suffer from tinnitus and seek help from their family doctor or a specialist such as an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. Many times these doctors do not realize that the cause of the ringing is coming from a TMJ disorder. It is commonly misdiagnosed and often goes untreated or is treated ineffectively. Many times the ringing in the ears is a result of having the jaw being out of align which causes a strained bite. The jaw area of the face is a complex network of muscles and nerves, and when the bite is misaligned muscles and nerves throughout the head, including the ears, can be affected.
A Neuromuscular Dentist is trained to diagnose the cause of your tinnitus. It may be related to an unstable or misaligned bite. The dentist can work with the source of the problem by stabilizing and realigning the bite so that the entire jaw area works together without pain and ringing in your ears.
Dr. Carol F. Morgan, DDS, can help the ringing in your ears that is associated with TMJ disorders whether you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Williamsburg or any other surrounding city in Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach TMJ Dentist
Popping, Clicking and Snapping in the Jaw Joint
Many patients throughout Virginia who suffer from TMJ or TMD experience popping, clicking or snapping in the jaw joint. It is one of the most common symptoms of TMJ and TMD. The popping and clicking sounds many times are surprisingly loud where it may be heard by others when you chew or speak. Not all patients complain of pain in their jaw when the clicking or popping sound is heard and therefore, do not believe that they have a temporomandibular disorder.
The popping and clicking sounds that you hear many times is the displacing of the discs in your jaw joints. The jaw joints are ball and socket type of joints very similar to the hip joints and shoulder joints. The disc, or cartilage, in the joint allows the ball to glide smoothly in and out of the socket. When there is dysfunction in the joint, commonly caused by the muscles of the joint pulling the jaw out of it’s intended path, you may hear popping and clicking. You may also experience pain. If the disc is severely misplaced, your jaw may be limited on how wide it can open or may be locked shut.
A Neuromuscular Dentist can properly test and evaluate you and realign your bite, which also realigns the displaced disc. Once the jaw is realigned and the disc is back in place the clicking and popping sounds in the jaw usually subsides as the muscles holding the disc in place relax, alleviating the jaw, face, head, neck, back, and shoulder pain that resulted.
Dr. Carol F. Morgan, DDS, can help you if you have popping and clicking in your jaw joints associated with TMJ disorders whether you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Williamsburg or any other surrounding city in Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach TMJ Dentist
Jaw Pain
When there is disharmony with how your teeth fit together (bad bite or malocclusion), classic Temporomandiblar disorder (TMD / TMJ) symptoms may follow. Patients often complain of clenching or grinding their teeth, or having to chew on one side of the mouth or the other. These symptoms may cause unequal stresses on the muscles that are used to move the jaw during normal activities of daily living. The muscles often fatigue and become sore or spasm and cause pain.
Many patients throughout Virginia complain of jaw pain or tiredness of their jaw muscles. They may see several dentists that may simply suggest a night guard because they usually grind their teeth. You may also be suggested to try a deprogrammer or discluder device. This type of treatment without the proper diagnostics tests and workup is like putting a bandage on a broken arm. One size does not fit all and every patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan are different.
A Neuromuscular Dentist can help alleviate jaw pain related to TMJ / TMD by realigning the bite. Once the jaw is back into its natural and most relaxed position the surrounding muscles can also resume their natural painless function.
Dr. Carol F. Morgan, DDS, can help your jaw pain associated with TMJ disorders whether you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Williamsburg or any other surrounding city in Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach TMJ Dentist
Loose Teeth
People who suffer from Temporomandibular disorder (TMJ / TMD) many times indicate that one or more of their teeth feel loose. This often occurs when they wake in the morning. This common symptom is a direct result of a patient clenching or grinding their teeth. The chronic clenching and grinding applies undue stress on the ligaments that hold the teeth into the jaw. Similar to the repeated bending of a paper clip that eventually breaks, applying repeated stresses to the teeth will loosen the grip that the ligaments have on the teeth.
This condition will likely lead to periodontial disease. It is important that you find the correct skilled dentist to consult to address this problem. A Neuromuscular Dentist is trained in reducing the symptoms of TMJ / TMD and addressing the root cause of the problem. If you find that you have loose teeth, you may have the symptoms of Temporomandibular disorder. Dr. Morgan can help.
Dr. Carol F. Morgan, DDS, can help you if you have loose teeth associated with TMJ disorders whether you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Williamsburg or any other surrounding city in Hampton Roads.
