TMJ Disorder Treatment in Millington & Covington, TN

Put jaw pain and headaches behind you, without surgery.

Jaw pain, chronic headaches, clicking or popping when you chew, trouble opening your mouth, teeth wearing down faster than they should. Any of those can point to a TMJ disorder, and plenty of people are told to live with it. You don’t have to.

Dr. Kevin Reed and Dr. Taylor Reed have both trained at the Pankey Institute in Miami, one of the most respected advanced dental training facilities in the country, with specific focus on occlusion and TMJ therapy. That training, along with years of successful TMJ cases here in our practice, lets us take on complex bite problems that a lot of general dentists refer out. And we do it without surgery.

Signs You Might Have a TMJ Disorder

Over 10 million Americans have a TMJ disorder, or TMD. When the jaw joints stop working properly, the symptoms turn up in places you might not connect to your teeth:

Clicking, popping, or grinding noises when you move your jaw
Pain when you open your mouth all the way, or a limited range of opening
A jaw that locks now and then
Clenching or grinding your teeth
Facial pain and muscle fatigue
Ear pain with no infection behind it, or ringing in your ears
Frequent headaches

The headaches are the ones people miss most often. If you’ve been putting them down to stress for years and nothing has helped, your bite is worth a look.

Non-Surgical TMJ Treatment

Custom Night Guards and Splints

A custom night guard is often the first thing we try, and for a lot of patients it’s the only thing they need. It stops your teeth grinding against each other overnight and takes the load off the joint while it settles.

Bite Adjustments

When teeth meet unevenly, the jaw compensates and the muscles pay for it. Careful adjustments to how your teeth come together take the strain out of the system.

Occlusal Therapy

For more involved cases we rebuild the bite so the joint, the muscles, and the teeth work together. This is the Pankey Institute training in practice, and the part most general dentists send elsewhere.

If you’ve been struggling with jaw pain and haven’t gotten straight answers, we’d be glad to take a look. We see TMJ patients from Millington, Covington, Atoka, Munford, Tipton County, north Shelby County, Lauderdale County, and the greater Memphis area.

How We Approach TMJ Treatment

We start by listening. Every TMJ case is different, so the first step is understanding your symptoms, what makes them worse, and how long they’ve gone on.

From there, a thorough evaluation may include 3D CBCT imaging, bite analysis, photos, and a careful review of how your jaw moves. Most TMJ problems respond well to conservative treatment.

Three generations of Reed dentists have looked after families here, and we work by the motto that we’ve never had a tooth walk in the door unattached. A jaw problem comes attached to a person who’s been putting up with it for a while, and that’s how we treat it.

Common Questions About TMJ Disorders

Can a dentist treat TMJ?

Yes. TMJ disorders, or TMD, are usually a problem with how your teeth and jaw joint work together, which puts them squarely in a dentist’s territory. Both of our dentists have advanced training in occlusion and TMJ therapy from the Pankey Institute.

Can TMJ cause headaches?

Often, yes. The muscles that move your jaw run up the side of your head, and when they’re overworked from clenching or an uneven bite the result feels like a tension headache. It’s one of the most common TMJ symptoms, and one of the most missed.

Does a night guard help TMJ?

Often, yes. A custom night guard stops you grinding your teeth together while you sleep and eases the load on the joint. One made from a scan of your own mouth fits better than anything off the shelf.

Does TMJ go away on its own?

Sometimes, but usually not. Mild flare-ups can settle on their own. Symptoms that have run for months usually have a cause behind them, such as grinding, an uneven bite, or worn teeth, and those get worse rather than better if nothing changes.

Do I need surgery for TMJ?

Usually not. Most TMJ problems respond well to conservative treatment, which is the approach we take. Custom night guards, bite adjustments, and occlusal therapy resolve the great majority of cases we see without surgery.

Do TMJ exercises help?

Up to a point. Gentle jaw stretches and relaxation ease muscle tension and are worth doing. They can’t correct an uneven bite or worn teeth, so exercises alone tend to bring temporary relief while the cause carries on.

How long does TMJ treatment take?

That depends on the cause and how long you’ve had it. A night guard can bring relief within weeks, while rebuilding a worn bite is planned in stages. We’ll give you a realistic picture at your evaluation.

Do you see TMJ patients from Memphis?

Yes. We treat TMJ patients from across the greater Memphis area, north Shelby County, and Tipton County.

Get a Straight Answer About Your Jaw Pain

If you’ve been living with jaw pain or headaches and nobody has explained why, come in and let us have a look. Call whichever office is closer and we’d be glad to sit down and talk it through.

Testimonials

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