Temporomandibular Joint Surgery - In Your Local Area
Admiralty Dental Center
Appointments: (360) 385-7003
Edward Savidge D.D.S.
Admiralty Dental Center
600 Cliff Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
You're unique, and you deserve quality, individualized care. Dr. Edward Savidge believes your dental experience should blend the best of the personal and the professional. At Admiralty Dental Center in the Port Townsend, Washington area, we take the time to get to know you and understand your dental needs. Dr. Savidge and his staff are dedicated to providing you with top-quality dental care designed exclusively for you.
If you suffer from periodontal disease or want to make sure you avoid it, Port Townsend area gum disease dentist Dr. Edward Savidge offers the solution with non-surgical preventive gum therapy. Look and feel your best with healthy gums and an attractive smile.
For our Port Townsend area's valued senior citizens and military personnel, we proudly offer senior citizen and military discounts. We respect and honor your contributions to society, and this is our way of saying "thanks" for all you do.
Have you ever considered natural-looking, permanent dental implants instead of uncomfortable dentures? Incredible recent advances in technology allow Port Townsend area dental implants dentist Dr. Edward Savidge to create tooth implants just for you that can be permanently anchored to your jaw. This is a great option to consider if you've had negative experiences with dentures in the past.
With IV sedation you'll have no memory of your dental procedure at our Port Townsend area sedation dentistry practice. Since you are safely sedated during the treatment, you experience virtually no pain. You'll simply wake up to your successful results.
More TMJ Dentists in the Port Townsend, WA Area Near You
Russell Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
6344 Littlerock Rd SW
Tumwater, WA, 98512
Choose Anxiety Free Dentistry
314 M.L. King Way #206
Tacoma, WA, 98405
Doctor - Activate Your Free 1stTMJDentist Directory Listing
Dr. Heyri Yeom, D.D.S.
13804 SE Newport Way
Bellevue, WA, 98006
Seahurst Dental Design, PLLC *
1800 SW 152nd Street
Seattle, WA, 98166
TMJ - All About Temporomandibular Joint Disorder
TM disorder describes a variety of conditions affecting the temporomandibular joint - TMJ (the point where the jaw opens and closes) and nerves related to chronic facial pain. These problems are now more easily diagnosed and treated than in the past. Women are twice as likely to be affected than men.
How Is It Caused?
The exact cause of the disorder is unknown. Some factors are related to an improper bite or malocclusion, injury, arthritis, severe stress, or a combination of factors. Clenching or grinding teeth, a condition called bruxism, may develop from stress or as part of a sleep disorder. This can tire muscles and create painful spasms, causing even more pain. Repeated muscle problems may affect the joints, resulting in tissue damage, muscle tenderness, and more spasms, perpetuating a cycle of pain.
What Are Some of the Symptoms?
- Jaw pain or soreness, more noticeable in the morning or afternoon
- Jaw pain while chewing, biting, or yawning
- Earache without an infection, sometimes spreading into the face
- A clicking or grinding noise while opening and closing your mouth
- Difficulty opening and closing your mouth
- A stiff jaw when eating, talking, or yawning
- Sensitive teeth without any signs of dental problems
- Aching on the side of the head and neck pain
- "Locking" of jaw in an open or closed position
How Can This Condition Be Treated?
Proper diagnosis is critical to make sure you receive treatment for your particular condition. Your dentist will recommend treatment after conducting a thorough health history, clinical exam, taking appropriate X-rays, and perhaps confirming the condition through other diagnostic tests.
Your dentist may prescribe a multiple-phase treatment plan. Only minor corrective treatment may be needed. Treatment may be simple or require more steps for alleviating the condition, depending on the degree of severity. Some of these treatments include:
- Taking a non-aspirin pain reliever or prescription medications such as muscle relaxants, analgesics, or anti-inflammatory drugs
- Eating soft foods
- Avoiding chewing gum
- Applying moist heat or ice
- Physical therapy
- Teaching relaxation techniques to control muscle tension
- Stress management training techniques
- Posture training
- Wearing bite plates to eliminate the harmful effects of clenching or grinding the teeth, and a better positioning of the jaws
- Adjusting the bite, known as "occlusal equilibration" involving removing interferences when the teeth touch
- Replacement of defective restorations that prevent the jaws from meeting properly
- Orthodontics, to put the teeth in proper position
- Surgery
In most cases, the symptoms related to TM disorders can be successfully treated to reduce or eliminate your discomfort. Postponement of treatment usually results in more damage to the joint, muscles, or teeth. Be sure to discuss any questions you may have about TM symptoms and treatment plans with your dentist.
By Brian J. Gray, DDS, MAGD, FICO
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
What is TMJ Syndrome, Anyway?
The first symptom you may notice is that you can't eat a Big Mac anymore; it's just too big for your mouth.
Or you have a headache and your shoulders are stiff; the pain fluctuates from bothersome to excruciating.
Or chewing gum becomes torture, and you find yourself ordering soup and yogurt.
These are some of the signs of a TMJ disorder.
The term is a catchall for a variety of disorders relating to the temporomandibular joint-or TMJ-of the jaw.
The TMJ, which lies just in front of the ears, is a complex system of bone, cartilage, muscle and nerve that when working properly gives the jaw tremendous versatility and strength.
When the joint is abused by teeth grinding, injured by a blow to the jaw or head, or weakened by age, jaw pain can result. Stress, trauma, a bad bite, or arthritis can strain the jaw beyond design.
Dentists are more familiar today than in previous generations with the symptoms: jaw clicking, jaw popping, migraine, headache and the causes and treatments for the complex disorders.
A more stressful society is also taking its physical toll. The most dramatic research shows one in five Americans suffer from some degree of TMJ disorder. More conservative estimates put the number at one in 10.
However, many of those cases only may reveal themselves through a rather benign clicking or popping in the jaw.
In turn, the treatments prescribed by TMJ treatment clinics range from counseling and psychological therapy to splints and, in severe cases, surgery.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
