About 15% of Americans suffer from jaw pain, which can cause migraines and radiate to your neck and other parts of your face. At Middletown Commons Family Dental, we’re proud to offer you a solution to your jaw pain. Here, we’ll discuss jaw pain in more detail and explain how we can help.

About TMJ Dysfunction

TMJ is the abbreviation for the temporomandibular joint, which is the hinge that connects your jaw to your skull. These joints make it possible for you to open and close your mouth and move your jaw side to side so you can chew, speak, and yawn. It’s hard to tell what the exact cause of a TMJ disorder may be, and it’s often different for every person. Professional diagnosis is important to determine treatment so see us right away if you think you may be experiencing TMJ dysfunction.

Possible Causes

• Arthritis
• Injury
• Dislocation
• Stress that causes teeth grinding or clenching
• Improper tooth & jaw alignment caused by genetics

Symptoms

• Pain along your jaw or in the temporomandibular joints, especially when chewing gum
• Hearing & feeling clicking or popping in your jaw as you move it
• Migraines
• Difficulty chewing
• Facial pain
• Pain in & around your ear
• Having difficulty opening & closing your mouth

What We Use to Treat Jaw Pain

At Middletown Commons Family Dental we use Botox to treat TMJ disorders. Botox can help alleviate issues associated with TMJ disorder such as facial pain and migraines, and can even help patients stop grinding their teeth. Dr. Ward is certified to use Botox for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes. Botox is often used in combination with additional therapies such as physical therapy and oral appliance therapy to help reduce pain and headaches.

Benefits of Treating Jaw Pain with Botox

Botox is a great way to alleviate jaw pain and can help in situations where oral medications and mouthguard treatment did not provide results. It is a quick and safe treatment that’s non-invasive and non-surgical and can be done in-office. We perform Botox injections at our office and there is very minimal pain during the injection procedure. After your treatment, you won’t have to limit your activities for the day like you might with a more invasive procedure. With Botox treatment for your jaw pain, you could feel better in just one week!