Managing Dental Pain

By Margaret Stubblefield, DDS, FAGD

Gainesville Family Dental Center

. http://www.gainesvillefamilydentalcenter.com/

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Managing Dental Pain

One of the most painful conditions in dental health is temporo-mandibular dysfunction (TMD). This happens when the teeth, chewing muscles and the jaw joint are not in sync with each other.

All the components of the mouth need to be in sync with one another to work properly. When they're not, there can be pain in the neck and shoulder muscles, earaches, and jaw and difficulty opening and closing the mouth.

The first step in managing this type of pain is to get a complete oral assessment from your dentist. Your dentist will perform the necessary x-rays and check your bite to determine if your bite is misaligned. Other diagnostics include an impression, which determines the position of your teeth; face bow registration, which determines the relationship between your lower jaw and skull; and a bite registration, which determines the relationship between your upper and lower jaw.

With these measurements, your dentist will get a three dimensional representation of how your jaw functions. This will also help your dentist determine the cause of your TMD, which typically is the result of clenching/grinding teeth, an unaligned bite, injury to the joint and/or arthritis.

There are things that can be done to control pain associated with TMD. A warm compress can provide relief for muscle pain and spasms, anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to control swelling, massages and a diet consisting of food that is easy to chew.

Reducing stress is also a very effective means of controlling TMD symptoms because when muscles and nerves are relaxed, there is a reduction in pain.

Managing TMD pain does not have to be complicated. Sometimes a common sense approach is all that is needed. If you have pain in your jaws, neck or shoulders, if you clench or grind your teeth, or have frequent headaches, a visit to the dentist may be just what you need to get on the path back to a pain free life.