Does Your Jaw Joint Hurt?
One common reason your jaw joint hurts is due to grinding and clenching your teeth. Those who grind or clench their teeth are often unaware of their behaviour, unless told by a dental professional noticing the tell tale signs of wear and tear on teeth.
Common reasons for grinding are;
- Stress – often leads to unreleased nervous energy which can cause conscious and unconscious grinding and clenching.
- Crookedness of teeth
- Sleep Apnoea
Treating Jaw pain focuses on the underlying cause, but for immediate pain relief can be as simple as applying hot and cold packs, physical therapy (such as massage and jaw manipulation ), stress management, botox and sleep apnoea treatment.
However, if these doesn’t work, then occlusal therapy is the solution. Occlusal therapy involves a custom made guard (called a splint), which needs to be constructed to protect the teeth from night time wear. The guard acts to balance the bite and reduce teeth grinding or clenching. More importantly the guard protect your teeth from wear, cracks and chips.
Failure to protect the teeth can lead to chipped teeth, hairline fractures and tooth wear (which may cause your smile to looked aged due to the shortening size of your teeth). Once this occurs, there is often a need for more invasive, costly dental treatment. So if you’re grinding or clenching your teeth and your jaw joint hurts, make sure you consult us.