TMJ Treatment – Corpus Christi, TX

Can TMJ Be Cured Permanently?

Discomfort associated with TMJ disorder can sometimes diminish over time without intervention. However, it’s crucial to seek professional treatment if your symptoms begin to affect your daily life. Some TMJ therapy techniques offer temporary relief, but the outcomes are not usually permanent. On the other hand, occlusal splints and occlusal adjustments/equilibration are specifically designed to address the root causes of TM (i.e., jaw tension and misalignment). As such, they’re able to provide long-lasting relief by permanently addressing these underlying issues.

Can TMJ Be Fixed with Braces?

TMJ disorder can be caused by a misalignment between the upper and lower jaws, preventing them from properly coming together. Another contributing factor could be crooked or crowded teeth, which can lead to an uneven distribution of biting force, exerting excessive pressure on one side of the jaw.

In such cases, aligning the jaws and teeth with orthodontic treatment may alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms of TMJ. We’ll thoroughly assess your specific situation to determine if braces are the most suitable solution for your TMJ disorder. It's worth noting that alternative methods might provide more immediate relief, as braces typically require at least a year to fully align the teeth and jaws.

How Long Does It Take for a TMJ Splint to Work?

Occlusal splints for TMD are typically worn every night during sleep. While you may notice a rapid reduction in symptoms, it's important to remember that they won't disappear all at once. It takes time for your TMJs and the surrounding jaw areas to adjust to their new, healthier positions. In about six weeks, most patients experience significant improvement. Keep in mind that complete relief of symptoms may not be achieved at this stage. Typically, it takes three to six months for an occlusal splint to effectively alleviate TMD discomfort. However, it's worth noting that individual recovery times can vary, with some individuals experiencing shorter or longer periods of recovery.

Is TMJ Treatment Covered by Insurance? 

Coverage for TMJ therapy depends on factors such as the cause, severity, and type of treatment involved. While the TMJ is a joint that isn't solely related to dentistry, certain TMJ treatments (like occlusal splints) are typically provided by dental professionals rather than primary care doctors. Insurance coverage for TMJ treatment can be complex and vary between states and policies.

Some plans may exclude TMJ treatment or impose limitations on the amount and type of covered treatments. To determine if your treatment will be covered, you should contact your insurance provider directly for specific information.

Is TMJ Treatment Safe?

TMJ treatment is completely safe as long as it is performed by a qualified professional. It’s usually best to treat the issue with methods that are as conservative and minimally invasive as possible, so our dentist may suggest several treatment options before recommending surgery. Many treatments such as occlusal splints and bite adjustments have been proven overwhelmingly safe when used to address TMD.

Can TMJ Be Treated Without Surgery?

The National Institutes of Health recommends using the most conservative methods possible when treating TMJ disorders, and it is completely possible to treat TMJ without surgery. In fact, treating TMJ does not usually require surgical intervention. Since surgery requires making permanent alterations to the jaw and the structures surrounding it, it is usually only recommended as a last resort. Non-surgical treatments for TMD include but are not limited to occlusal splints and bite adjustments.

Do Bite Adjustments for TMJ Hurt?

Our team members will do everything they can to ensure that your bite adjustment is comfortable throughout the entire process. Bite adjustment is usually performed by precisely filing down the biting surfaces of the teeth, dental crowns, or dental implants to keep them from protruding and throwing off the balance of the bite. This is done with a small dental drill to remove a tiny amount of enamel, allowing the adjustment to alleviate the stress on your jaw joints without negatively affecting your oral health. In other cases, a bite adjustment involves reinforcing existing dental structures with tooth-colored composite resin. Bite adjustments may or may not require the use of a local anesthetic to numb your mouth beforehand, and while you may experience some soreness in the treated areas for a few days afterward, this should be mild and fade with time.

Is TMJ Treatment Expensive?

Since there are many types of TMJ treatments available, the associated costs can vary considerably. Different providers use different pricing guides, and the various geographic areas they operate in can contribute to differences in cost. The overall price of TMJ treatment can fall anywhere from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. More extensive treatments are usually more expensive. For example, an occlusal splint will probably cost less than surgical intervention. Factors like the cause of your TMD and the severity of your symptoms determine the specific treatment you need, which affects the overall cost. While insurance doesn’t always cover TMJ treatment, we offer financing options through CareCredit that allow you to break the cost of your treatment into monthly installments with little or no interest attached. It’s important to remember that, even if TMJ treatment seems expensive at first, living without chronic pain is truly priceless.