TMJ is a common yet often painful disorder. At Who Does Your Teeth, our dentist can help evaluate your oral condition and diagnose whether you suffer from TMJ. With just a few simple and painless examinations, Dr. Jeffrey Neal can evaluate your condition and provide personalized treatment plans. We invite you to contact us at 804-447-1435 if you have questions about TMJ diagnosis in Henrico, Virginia, and to schedule your appointment with our caring and experienced dentist.
TMJ disorder is when your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) produces pain due to stress, injury, or tension. Your TMJ connects your lower jaw to the rest of your head, and it is one of the most complex joints in your body. Many people experience TMJ disorder, and if you are experiencing some of its symptoms, our dentist can help evaluate and diagnose your condition.
A TMJ diagnosis may require several parts. First, our dentist will evaluate your medical history to determine whether there may be any additional health problems that can contribute to your TMJ or cause side effects similar to TMJ. Next, our dentist may ask you several questions about the discomfort you are experiencing. Some of these questions may include:
- What kind of pain do you have?
- What aggravates your pain, and what helps to alleviate it?
- Do you clench or grind your teeth?
- Can you locate where, exactly, you experience pain?
The next step is to conduct an examination of your head, neck, and mouth. During this exam, our dentist will take note of what he finds that may contribute to TMJ, including:
- Your jaw’s range of motion? (Can it move side-to-side, up and down, forwards and backwards without pain?)
- Any tenderness around the jaw joint
- Clicking or popping sounds when moving or opening/closing the jaw
- The alignment of your teeth
- Worn-down mandibular teeth, especially the canines
- The intensity of your pain on a scale of 1 to 10
If these evaluations do not provide sufficient information, our dentist may recommend that we also take X-rays of your mouth with digital, Panoramic, or Cephalometric X-rays. For more information about how we can help diagnose your TMJ, we welcome you to call or visit us today.