TMJ treatment
For a jaw that clicks, catches or aches when you chew or wake up.
The temporomandibular joint is the hinge in front of each ear, and TMJ trouble is pain or noise in that joint and the muscles working it. Most cases come from clenching, grinding or an uneven bite, and most are settled with a splint and a few changes at home rather than surgery.
Any of these sound familiar?
- Your jaw clicks, pops or grates when you open wide or chew.
- You wake most mornings with a tight jaw, sore temples or a dull headache.
- The jaw catches or locks part-way open and you have to work it free.
- Chewing steak, bagels or gum makes one side ache by the end of the meal.
- You know you grind your teeth, and now the joint has started to hurt too.
Start to finish.
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01
Where it hurts
You tell us when the pain started, what makes it worse and how you have been sleeping. Dr. Malik feels the joint and the muscles while you open, close and slide the jaw side to side.
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02
Exam and X-rays
He measures how far you can open, listens to the joint, and checks the teeth for the flat, polished wear that grinding leaves. X-rays rule out a cracked or infected tooth causing pain that only feels like the joint.
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03
Settling it down
Most cases start with the plain things: softer food for a few weeks, heat on the muscles, no gum, no wide yawns. He shows you two or three jaw exercises to do at home.
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04
A bite splint
If clenching or grinding is driving it, we take impressions and a hard splint is made to fit over your upper or lower teeth. You wear it at night; it takes load off the joint and stops the teeth wearing each other down.
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05
Review and adjust
You come back a few weeks later so the fit can be adjusted and the joint measured again. If the pain has not eased, Dr. Malik goes through what is left, including jaw physiotherapy or a specialist opinion.
What it costs, and who pays.
An assessment is usually one appointment. A splint adds two more, one for impressions and one to fit it a couple of weeks later, plus a short review. Many dental plans cover part of an appliance like this, often under a separate limit, and some want a note explaining why it is needed before they pay.
Ask for a written estimateTMJ treatment, answered.
Why does my jaw hurt when I wake up?
Morning pain usually points at night-time clenching or grinding, because the muscles have been working for hours. That is the pattern a splint is made for, so it is worth having the joint and the wear on your teeth looked at.
Will jaw clicking go away on its own?
Clicking without pain often settles, and plenty of people click for years and never need treatment. Clicking with pain, or a jaw that catches, is the one to have checked before you start chewing on one side to avoid it.
Is TMJ caused by stress?
Stress is often part of it, since people clench when they are tense or sleeping badly. An uneven bite, an old blow to the jaw or arthritis in the joint can be part of it too, which is why the exam looks at all of them.
Do I need surgery for TMJ?
Rarely. Most cases are managed with a splint, rest and habit changes, and surgery is considered only after the simpler treatment has been given months to work. Dr. Malik trained in oral surgery, so he tells you plainly if your case is one of the few.
