Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI

Are you familiar with temporomandibular joint disorder? Also commonly referred to as TMJ disorder, this occurs when there’s some sort of dysfunction with your temporomandibular joint, which connects your jaw to your skull on either side of your head. Living with this disorder often leads to chronic pain. It also can affect the alignment of your bite and jaws, but did you know that untreated TMJ disorder also can impact your sleep? Today on the blog, we explore how TMJ disorder can improve the quality of your sleep as well as your overall health.

Living with untreated TMJ disorder can cause systemic problems

The symptoms of TMJ disorder can cause issues throughout your body. For example, pain emanating from your jaws can start to radiate to other areas, including the head, face, neck, and shoulders. This pain can make it difficult to relax and fall asleep, as certain sleeping positions affect the alignment of the head and neck and can exacerbate existing pain from your TMJ disorder. If you sleep on your stomach or your side, this may be restful but is going to exacerbate your condition, making all your symptoms worsen with time.

Try sleeping on your back if you have TMJ disorder

There are several benefits to sleeping in this position to help manage your disorder. Sleeping on your back exerts less pressure on the jaw joints, and more support for your head, neck, and shoulders. It also reduces the likelihood you’ll grind your teeth or clench your jaw while asleep. If sleeping on your back isn’t natural or comfortable, try placing a small pillow under the arch of your back. A good mattress topper might be a smart addition as well; many of these toppers adjust to the contours of your body and help you adjust to sleeping on your back.

Treating TMJ disorder in Royal Oak and Birmingham in Michigan

TMJ disorder is one of the greatest diagnostic challenges in medical science because the symptoms can vary so widely from person to person. In truth, no two cases of TMJ disorder are the same. Your best resource for relief for TMJ disorder is a practitioner with training and experience in neuromuscular dentistry, a specialized area of dental science that focuses on the alignment of the bite and jaw. Dr. Nancy Hartrick is proud to offer neuromuscular dentistry services to her patients at Hartrick Dentistry. If you or someone you love has TMJ disorder or is showing signs of this ailment, she can help through a course of oral appliance therapy, which entails wearing a customized mouthpiece to bring forward the lower jaw and restore the ideal alignment of the jaws—alleviating the stress on the temporomandibular joint that is causing the dysfunction.

Seek help for your TMJ disorder in Royal Oak and Birmingham in Michigan

Stop living with the pain, the lost sleep and all the other consequences that come from untreated TMJ disorder. Treatment through neuromuscular dentistry can provide the lasting relief and quality sleep that you need. Make your appointment at Hartrick Dentistry today by calling (248) 549-0950.

Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI

If you have temporomandibular joint disorder, this condition can harm the alignment of your bite and/or jaws. TMJ disorder also often causes significant pain, sometimes serious enough to be debilitating. Seeking the care of a qualified medical professional is crucial. However, finding the right practitioner to identify and treat a case of TMJ disorder can be just as difficult as it is to properly diagnose TMJ disorder. Today on the blog, we take a look at how your dentist treats TMJ disorder.

The importance of training

As mentioned, it is crucial to find a dentist who has the knowledge and training to correctly diagnose a case of TMJ disorder. This is because TMJ disorder often never gets diagnosed or is misdiagnosed. For example, the ailment often provokes headaches that occur regularly enough and with such severity that they can be misidentified as migraines. A dentist who wants to treat TMJ disorder needs to have training in neuromuscular dentistry, which focuses on the entire system of hard and soft tissue that resides in the mouth—emphasizing the alignment of the bite and jaws.

What signs of TMJ disorder should I watch for?

Any of the following issues can be evidence that you currently are suffering from this condition:  

• A persistent ringing in the ears
• Migraine headaches that do not respond fully to standard treatments for migraines
• Jaw pain
• Tooth pain that seems to migrate to different locations in the mouth
• Hearing a popping or clicking sound when your jaws open and close
• Pain in your neck and back, especially if treatment from your general physician or chiropractor has failed to provide lasting relief

The importance of proper treatment

If you suffer from TMJ disorder, you cannot merely “tough it out” or hope that the condition goes away. This is actually the worst decision you can make, as this just means the ailment will continue to worsen as time passes. In fact, failure to seek diagnosis and treatment only will exacerbate a case of TMJ. While the symptoms of this disorder can vary greatly from person to person, TMJ frequently causes pain—often of chronic and severe varieties, bad enough to impede your ability to function on a daily basis and complete regular tasks. Eventually, TMJ will continue to create problems throughout your body. The dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint will spread from the jaw joints to the adjacent musculature, blood vessels, and nerves, eventually impacting the face, neck, and even the spine.

Long-term consequences of untreated TMJ disorder may include:

• Pinched nerves
• Misaligned cervical vertebrae
• Numbness or tingling in extremities

Diagnosis and treatment of TMJ disorder in Royal Oak and Birmingham in Michigan

TMJ disorder is a serious medical condition that only will be resolved by treatment from a qualified medical professional like Dr. Hartrick. Stop living with the pain and other issues that can stem from a case of untreated TMJ disorder. Unfortunately, many people with TMJ disorder never receive a proper diagnosis. That does not have to be your fate. Instead, if you are experiencing symptoms of TMJ disorder, make your appointment at Hartrick Dentistry today by calling (248) 549-0950.

Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI

Do you know where your temporomandibular joint is? This is a small round joint that connects your jaw to your skull on either side of the head. That joint may be small but if it enters a state of dysfunction it can cause some big problems, up to and including chronic pain. TMJ disorder represents a diagnostic challenge for medical professionals, so you can imagine the confusion it can cause from the people suffering from the condition. That’s why Hartrick Dentistry compiled this list of answers to some of the questions we receive most frequently about TMJ disorder from people just like you.

What causes TMJ disorder?

Frequently reported causes of TMJ disorder include:

• An injury—usually sustained to the jaw, the head, the neck, or the temporomandibular joint itself;
• Bruxism, which is the clinical term for teeth grinding or clenching;
• Arthritis, emanating from the temporomandibular joint;
• Dislocating the disc between the ball and socket of the temporomandibular joint; and
• Stress, which causes you to tighten the muscles of your face and jaw or clench your teeth.

What are the symptoms of TMJ disorder?

The exact symptoms of TMJ disorder can vary widely but patients with this ailment regularly report any combination of the following:

• Pain in the face, teeth, mouth, neck, shoulders or jaw
• A clicking or popping sound when the jaws open and close
• Experiencing a locked jaw or limited range of motion in the jaws
• Having problems chewing
• Malocclusion, which also is known as a misaligned bite
• Ringing, stuffiness, or congestion in the ears

Patients with TMJ disorder often experience frequent and painful headaches, which may be misdiagnosed as migraines. These headaches may feel like migraines or be of migraine-like intensity, but they do not respond as well to normal migraine treatments. If you have been diagnosed with migraines but treatment has not provided relief, then TMJ disorder could be the root cause of your headaches.

How does a dentist treat TMJ disorder?

Dr. Nancy Hartrick is trained in neuromuscular dentistry, a specialization of the dental field that only is taught on a post-graduate level following the completion of normal dental school. This training focuses on finding and restoring the ideal alignment of the bite and jaw. Typically, Hartrick Dentistry can treat TMJ disorder through oral appliance therapy. Using impressions of your mouth as a guide, we have an orthotic mouthpiece fabricated. When worn, the oral appliance serves as a mandibular advancement device. It applies gentle forward pressure, guiding your jaws into their preferred alignment and resolving the stress being placed on the temporomandibular joint. Once the TMJ has been treated, any symptoms you are experiencing—including pain—also will be resolved.

TMJ Treatment in Royal Oak ad Birmingham in Michigan

Make no mistake: if you or someone you love has TMJ disorder, seeing a trained medical professional like Dr. Hartrick is the only way to obtain lasting relief. Waiting to see if the problem just will go away on its own only encourages the development of greater problems related to your TMJ disorder, such as pain in the neck and back or numbness in extremities. Schedule an appointment at our office in Royal Oak by calling (248) 549-0950.

Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI

Suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD) can be debilitating and frustrating. Ranging from toothaches to daily headaches and ringing ears, the manifestations of TMJ disorder are unending. Additionally, TMJ disorder can manifest into wide-spread pain throughout the face, head, and neck. In today’s blog post, our Royal Oak TMJ dentist, Dr. Nancy Hartrick, uncovers one of the less-discussed effects of TMJ disorder, explains how the condition distorts the face, and how she can help.

How does TMJ disorder sneak its way into your facial appearance?

It all begins with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the joint between the jawbone and the skull at the sides of your head. When this joint is overstressed, it leads to a chain reaction affecting the surrounding muscles and soft tissues. If TMJ disorder is not properly dealt with it will not only affect the jaw but pain branches out to various parts of the face, head, and even the spine.

What are some ways TMJ disorder can alter your appearance?

From the painful feelings to the facial changes, every patient who has endured TMJ can be subjected to different results. But our Birmingham area TMJ dentist offers a short list of the possible effects if you choose to neglect TMJ.

• Tooth wear: As the teeth grind against each other due to an uneven bite, teeth can wear down, making the face slant when the mouth is closed. It may even turn out to be visually prominent and cause a jaw mismatch that contributes to an improper bite.
• Joint displacement: In very bad cases, the entire jaw becomes displaced due to the joint discs breaking down. Unfortunately, this may lead to asymmetrical jaw movement when chewing or when opening and closing the mouth and affecting the facial muscles.
• Bone irregularity: It should be noted that TMJ disorder leads to unequal elongation of the lower jaw and therefore if one side of the jawbone is shorter, it will show on the face. The condition is usually blamed on wear and tear on the condyle, the rounded part of the jaw that articulates with the skull.
• Overdeveloped muscles: TMJ disorder can make your jaw go out of whack, and to make up for the misfire, the muscles in your jaw will overwork. It may result in an increase in the size of the jaw muscles on the favored side as compared to the other, thus leading to facial changes.
• Spinal imbalance: The effects of the TMJ disorder are not limited to the jaw. Your neck, shoulders, and spine may also be affected as the condition goes untreated. Unfortunately, TMJ pain may lead to poor posture, which causes neck and back pain. Poor posture is evident by looking at someone. You may notice that their back is hunched over or they carry their head in a more forward position that looks irregular.

TMJ Dentist in Royal Oak and Birmingham, Michigan

Naturally, facial changes can be difficult manage without a proper diagnosis. However, it’s important to note that there is a TMJ dentist in Royal Oak, Dr. Nancy Hartrick, who is a caring specialist focusing on comprehensive TMJ treatment solutions. Our goal is to help you achieve a harmonious bite and a bite that is comfortable, without TMJ symptoms. When we combine a detailed assessment with a tailored approach to your TMJ condition, we can develop a treatment plan to help you overcome the disorder and feel confident again. For more information or to make an appointment to restore your smile’s comfort and confidence call Hartrick Dentistry at (248) 549-0950 today.

Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI

Do you have chronic headaches and/or pain in your face, neck or jaw that may feel a bit better after taking over-the-counter pain relievers but always comes back? If you’ve been suffering from chronic pain for a while, we have good news for you. You may be able to find relief after just one visit to our family dentist in Royal Oak who treats temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder (TMD).

What is TMJ disorder?

The TMJ acts as a hinge connecting the jaw to the skull. It is part of a complex system of muscles, ligaments, discs and bones that work together to facilitate movements like chewing, speaking and yawning. When this system becomes dysfunctional, it can result in TMJ disorder.

What are the symptoms of TMJ disorder?

TMJ can present itself with many symptoms, but the most common include:

• Clicking or popping noises in the jaw joint, especially when opening and closing the mouth
• Jaw pain or tenderness
• Difficulty or discomfort when chewing
• Locking of the jaw joint, making it difficult to open or close the mouth
• Pain or ringing deep in the ears
• Chronic headaches, neck pain or facial pain
• Muscle stiffness or spasms in the jaw or neck
• Changes in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together (malocclusion)

How does TMJ disorder cause chronic pain?

TMD can cause muscle tension and stiffness, which can lead to chronic tension-type headaches. Also, pain in one part of the face, neck or head can travel along the cranial trigeminal nerve to other parts of the head. So while TMD symptoms are typically localized to the jaw area, any dysfunction there can have widespread effects.

How can my chronic pain be resolved?

At Hartrick Dentistry, we have solved many cases of TMD-related chronic pain through comfortable and non-invasive oral appliance therapy. Many symptoms of TMJ disorder — especially bruxism, or the clenching and grinding of teeth — are exacerbated at night during sleep. Wearing a mouthguard at night repositions the jaw to prevent incidences of teeth grinding, and it also opens the airway to prevent snoring. This mitigates many of our patients’ TMJ-related symptoms during the day and leads to much better rest at night.

TMJ dentist in Royal Oak and Birmingham, Michigan

If you’ve been suffering from chronic pain, we know you want to find a solution. Our TMJ dentist in Birmingham at Hartrick Dentistry is trained to determine if you have TMD through a simple consultation and exam. If it is determined you have TMD, you may be able to walk out of our office that same day with a custom oral appliance that will improve your quality of life practically overnight. Call us today at (248) 712-1149, or reach out to us online to schedule an appointment today.