Temporomanibular Joint Disorders

TMJ Chiropractor in Wichita

Does your jaw click, pop or lock when you open your mouth wide? Do you have pain in your jaw hinge, or what feels like a toothache when your dentist says your teeth are fine? Do you grind your teeth while you sleep? These and other symptoms could be a sign of temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ. If left untreated, TMJ disorder can get moderately worse and cause increasing discomfort. Luckily, you do have options for treating this complex condition, including a natural way to adjust your bones and relax your muscles. If you seek a Wichita TMJ treatment that does not involve surgery or extensive dental work, our chiropractic treatments can help.

TMJ Disorder

The temporomandibular joint joins each side of your jawbone to the skull through an arrangement of ligaments, nerves, cartilage, and muscles. The joint allows for both side-to-side and back-to-front movements, but there are several elements that can agitate its proper alignment. In some cases, an abrupt jolt or head trauma — including the strain of holding your mouth open in the dentist’s chair — can dislocate the joint. In other situations, the pain can arise from more faint roots ranging from spinal misalignments to congenital conditions. It may seem strange that a spinal misalignment could cause such pain in your jaw, however, your spine regulates nerve signals for your entire body. Even a small misalignment in your neck or back can generate nerve pressure and muscle strain in your jaw.

The issues caused by this disorder can broaden far beyond simple jaw pain. The distressed nerves also distribute to other parts of your face and head, so you may experience headaches, earaches, dizziness, throat pain, eye problems, and more. Your quality of life could continue to decline unless you do something about the pain. And that is where our qualified medical professionals at Advanced Wellness & Rehab step in.

Chiropractic Treatment Options for TMJ Pain

Our certified chiropractors can identify any tension or spinal misalignments in muscular “trigger points” that may be provoking your painful condition. We will perform a series of precise chiropractic adjustments to shift your misaligned bones while relaxing the supporting muscles and releasing the impinged nerves. We can use massage-like techniques on your tense muscles that encourage your jaw to clench. Occasional upkeep treatments can then help you keep the condition under control. We will even recommend lifestyle changes that can help you reduce your stress levels since stress is a major factor in TMJ disorders.

TMJ conditions can be painful when the jaw disc erodes over time or moves out of its proper place. It is important to treat TMJ early before long-term pain conditions develop. Call today or request an appointment online.