Dr. Enrico DiVito is a general and cosmetic dentist who specializes in laser dentistry at the Arizona Center for Laser Dentistry in North Scottsdale. A graduate of Arizona State University and the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, Dr. DiVito returned to Arizona and established a private practice in 1980. He founded the Arizona Center for Laser Dentistry in 2007. In this article, he tells us the most common treatment methods for TMJ patients.
After a patient comes in to find out what is causing his or her head, neck, or jaw pain, and we have determined that the cause of that pain is TMJ, we will commonly move on to discussing treatment options. Although many dentists treat teeth alone, we are proud to say that we incorporate orthopedic dentistry into our practice as well. That means that we are looking deeper into the orthopedic position of the patient’s jaw to determine what, exactly is causing his pain.
So once we have made the TMJ—or temporomandibular joints disorder— diagnosis, the next thing we are going to look at is how we are going to treat that pain. One thing that I understand and believe is that each patient is an individual, which means that no one treatment method works for everyone. Even more, when you are dealing with a TMJ case, there could be a number of causes for your pain. So the method in which we begin treatment will really be based largely on what the original cause of the pain seems to be.
When a patient hears a clicking or a popping noise in their jaw, that could be a sign that their jaw is out of alignment. So what we will do is therapeutically work to line the jaw up correctly so patients have less head, neck, and joint pain in these cases. We do this therapeutically, and that really eliminates a lot of the jaw pain for a lot of patients.
For those patients who say they are clenching or grinding their teeth at night, TMJ is one of the most common factors we look. This can cause a lot of problems down the line, in terms of tooth decay and pain. In many of these cases, our treatment method could involve a patient wearing a mouthpiece. However, I always caution people not to take this into their own hands by buying a mouthpiece at the store. In order for a mouthpiece to work in these cases, it needs to be specially made based on your dimensions by a dentist. Wearing a mouth guard from a drug store—which is not made to fit your mouth, specifically—could cause additional pain or force your teeth to begin shifting.
Overall, people need to understand that because there are so many causes and symptoms of TMJ, not one treatment method fits everyone. What is most important is that patients visit their dentist to determine which treatment method will work best for their specific situation.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
