The Standard Dental/Met - Dental Treatment

Some of the standard approaches to TMJ and related conditions are muscle relaxant drugs; painkillers: oral appliances, such as a night guard to control bruxism (grinding of the teeth); heat massage and a soft diet to ease the pain of chewing. Biofeedback or psychological counseling is used to combat stress and anxiety, which appear to affect TMJ pain. Other treatments are orthodontics, restorative dentistry to build up the bite, bite plates and physical therapy. In severe cases, surgery has been performed to enter the joint and end the discomfort, yet this drastic step should be taken only after more conservative approaches have failed. According to Dr. Smith:

Surgery should not be done until chiropractic and proper dental support is provided prior to the surgery with the exception of a tumor, fracture or seriouslbint pathology.