Investigate the Cause of Your TMJ
Dr. Nancy Nehawandian is dedicated to analyzing, diagnosing, and treating TMJ disorders. She starts this process with a thorough exam and assessment.
Understanding the root cause of your TMJ disorder is crucial in selecting the most effective treatment, so her assessment begins with a thorough review of your health history, followed by a detailed examination of your mouth and jaw to evaluate the function of your masticatory system, which includes your teeth, muscles, and joints. This comprehensive approach helps her formulate a tailored treatment plan.
Dr. Nancy utilizes advanced neuromuscular technology to pinpoint the underlying issues of TMJ disorders. This includes a range of non-invasive diagnostic tools that assess muscle stress, jaw position and movement, and jaw sound. The insights gained from these evaluations help determine if your bite is significantly impacting your condition. By identifying the optimal position for your jaw, Dr. Nancy can establish a bite alignment that restores equilibrium to your jaw joints, muscles, and teeth, adhering to principles of neuromuscular occlusion.
In our pursuit of a holistic understanding of your jaw system, we also integrate physiologic dentistry techniques and cutting-edge imaging tools. These methods allow us to diagnose your condition with greater accuracy, comfort, and reduced exposure to radiation, ensuring the most appropriate TMJ treatment is recommended.
The Best TMJ Treatment For Your Pain
Dental Device, a Neuromuscular Orthotic
An orthotic is a splint that you wear over your lower back teeth. It’s comfortable, practically invisible, and can give your overworked jaw muscles the rest they desperately need. Over time, your orthotic can retrain your jaw muscles to relax into a new, healthy bite position. Often, an orthotic is the only TMJ treatment required.
At-Home Therapy Can Be An Effective Adjunct Treatment for TMJ Pain
Physical therapy such as ultrasound, moist heat and ice, and exercises sooth, stretch and strengthen your jaw muscles.
Education and counseling can help you understand what’s causing or aggravating your TMJ pain, so you can avoid it. Teeth clenching or grinding, leaning on your chin, or biting your fingernails can be TMJ pain intensifiers. Habit modifications and at-home TMJ treatments like these won’t eliminate your condition, but they can help control your symptoms.
Restoration of Your Teeth
TMJ can often be effectively treated by reshaping your teeth with dental bonding or replacing missing teeth with dental implants. If your teeth have been worn down due to grinding or clenching, or, if your bite is impacted by broken teeth, Dr. Nancy in San Jose can restore them by using porcelain veneers or crowns. The added benefit of this TMJ treatment is pain relief and an enhanced smile.
TMJ Surgery as a Last Resort
Surgery should always be considered a last-line TMJ treatment.
Arthrocentesis is a procedure that involves needles that will flush your jaw joint to remove debris and inflammatory byproducts.
Injecting a corticosteroid into your jaw joint can be helpful. Used less frequently than corticosteroid injections, botulinum toxin (Botox) may relieve the pain associated with your TMJ disorder.
Patients should only consider surgery if their TMJ pain does not go away with more-conservative treatments and your TMJ disorder is caused by a structural problem. At Top Down Dental, we only offer non-surgical TMJ treatments.
Get Diagnosed and Get Back to Pain-Free Living
Dr. Nancy Nehawandian, of Top Down Dental in Los Gatos, is trained in neuromuscular dentistry. She uses state-of-the-art electronic instruments to diagnose your TMJ disorder and non-invasive corrective TMJ treatments to eliminate your pain and other symptoms in our San Jose area office. Once the harmony and balance of your teeth, and jaw are restored, your painful TMJ symptoms will improve, if not fade away completely. Contact our office online, or call us at (408) 354-5600.