My Family Dental TMJ
Jaw Pain, Clicking and Grinding
Assessed and treated at all six clinics, starting with the things that can be undone.
Waking with a tight jaw, headaches that start in the temples, a click when you open, teeth that are wearing flat. These usually come back to the jaw joint and the muscles working it, and treatment starts with reversible measures rather than permanent changes to your teeth.
Occlusal splints
Custom-made, at all six clinics
Wear charted
So we can tell later whether it worked
Sleep appliances
Where a sleep physician has recommended one
Reversible first
Before anything permanent is done to teeth
The jaw joint is the one you use for everything and think about never, until it starts complaining. Then it is a headache every morning, an ache through the side of the face by the afternoon, and a click that everyone in the room can hear.
What Is Usually Going On
Most jaw pain traces back to the joint, to the muscles that drive it, or to both at once. Clenching and grinding, usually at night and usually without knowing, put a load through those muscles for hours. Stress, a bite that does not meet evenly, an old injury and arthritis all play a part in some people.
Clicking by itself, with no pain and no locking, is common and often needs nothing done about it. Pain, restricted opening or a jaw that locks are the ones worth having looked at.
Grinding, and What It Costs Your Teeth
Most people who grind do not know they do. What we see is the evidence: biting surfaces worn flat, edges chipped, teeth grown sensitive, fillings cracked. What you notice is the aching jaw in the morning and the headache behind the temples.
Left alone this is expensive, because worn-down teeth eventually need rebuilding, and rebuilt teeth grind too. Catching it while the wear is still enamel is a considerably smaller conversation than catching it after the enamel has gone.
Occlusal Splints
A splint is a custom-made appliance, usually worn at night, made from an impression or scan of your own mouth and adjusted so it meets your bite evenly. The clenching load goes into the splint instead of into your teeth and your joint.
Two honest points about them. A splint does not stop you grinding; it changes what the grinding damages, and for protecting teeth that is exactly what is wanted. And a splint that is not adjusted properly can make things worse, which is why it is fitted and reviewed rather than handed over.
We make them at all six clinics.
Reversible Things First
Jaw pain has several possible causes and they overlap, so anyone certain of the answer before examining you is guessing. We start with what can be undone: a splint, advice on the habits that load the joint, managing daytime clenching, and treating any tooth that is contributing.
Permanently altering teeth to change a bite is a decision to take slowly and after the reversible options have been tried, not a first move. Where a case needs more than we should be taking on, we will say so and refer.
Our Innisfail clinic offers further treatment options for muscle-related jaw pain. What they involve, whether they suit you and what they would cost are matters for a consultation rather than a web page.
Snoring and Sleep Appliances
Where obstructive sleep apnoea has been diagnosed and a sleep physician has recommended an oral appliance, we make them. Diagnosis is not a dental job: it needs a sleep study and a medical assessment, so if you snore heavily, stop breathing in your sleep, or wake unrefreshed no matter how long you were in bed, start with your GP. We work alongside that rather than instead of it.
Where
- My Family Dental Townsville (Kirwan)
- My Family Dental Bohle Plains
- My Family Dental Ingham
- My Family Dental Innisfail
- My Family Dental Bowen
- My Family Dental Emerald
Important: Jaw pain has multiple possible causes and responses to treatment vary between individuals. Any dental treatment carries risks. Assessment requires an examination, and obstructive sleep apnoea requires diagnosis by a medical practitioner. Fees are provided in a written quote. Seek advice appropriate to your circumstances from a qualified health practitioner.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually the joint itself, the muscles that work it, or both. Clenching and grinding, often at night and often without knowing, overload the muscles and the joint. Stress, a bite that does not meet evenly, an old injury and arthritis can all contribute. Clicking on its own, with no pain and no locking, is common and frequently does not need treating at all.
Most people who do have no idea until someone tells them. The signs we see are worn, flattened biting surfaces, teeth that have become sensitive, small chips along the edges, and sometimes cracked fillings. The signs you notice are waking with a tight or aching jaw, headaches in the temples first thing, or a partner mentioning the noise.
A custom-made appliance, usually worn at night, that sits over the teeth so the clenching load goes into the splint rather than into your teeth and joint. It is made from an impression or scan of your own mouth and adjusted so it meets your bite evenly. It does not stop you grinding. It changes what the grinding does to you, which for tooth wear is the whole point.
Sometimes, and sometimes not, and anyone certain about it before examining you is guessing. Jaw pain has several possible causes and they often overlap. We would rather start with the reversible things, a splint, advice, managing the load, than begin by permanently altering teeth. Irreversible treatment for jaw pain should be a considered decision, not a first move.
Where obstructive sleep apnoea has been diagnosed and a sleep physician has recommended an oral appliance, we make them. Diagnosis is not something a dentist does: it comes from a sleep study and a medical assessment. If you snore heavily, stop breathing in your sleep or wake unrefreshed, start with your GP, and we will work alongside that.
Ready to Book Your Visit?
Book a visit at your nearest My Family Dental clinic: we’ll talk through your options and what it costs.