This is an area of maxillofacial expertise where we deal with various problems such as TMJ ankylosis, MPDS, and other joint related issues. Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder is a unique problem increasing day by day in our busy lifestyle most commonly due to stress. We take special efforts to manage this problem at all levels, right from psychological counseling to surgical management of various TMJ Disorders.
Temporomandibular joint is a bilateral joint which makes the jaw movements possible. It is this joint because of which we can bite, chew, articulate, move our jaw and that’s the reason why food habits, biting pressure, change in occlusion and parafunctional habits affect the joint. Any change from normal biting habits which may be in the form of biting very hard food, high points with dental fillings, and parafunctional habits such as clenching, night grinding (bruxism) may affect the joint adversely.
One may feel pain in the area in front of the ear, clicking sound or ringing in the ear, pain while opening mouth, reduced mouth opening. Sometimes it is associated with headaches and neck pain. We term this symptom complex as Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) or Myofunctional Pain Dysfunction Syndrome (MPDS).
Treatment of TMJ disorder requires a lot of patience from the doctor as well as the patient. Since the occurrence of this disorder is a gradual process, its natural treatment also occurs gradually.
At Smilekraft, we believe in comprehensive management of patient suffering from TMJ disorders. With our past experience we have realized that apart from medicinal and surgical management of TMDs stress management and physiotherapy is equally important. We have an experienced professional- Dr. Nayak, who uses the T-Scan as one of his tools to help us diagnose and treat a number of problems involving the bite. The T-Scan is the only clinical diagnostic device available that senses and analyzes teeth contact forces to quantify whether a patient's bite is actually balanced. It is the most simple and conservative method for diagnosing and managing bite related TMJ problems.
TMJ Ankylosis:It is a less commonly seen disorder where the patient is unable to open his/her mouth. This occurs due to fusion in joint region which makes jaw movement impossible.
This fusion or ankylosis usually occurs from childhood with history of injury to lower jaw or ear infections. But there may be many other reasons.
Treatment involves functional correction, cosmetic correction and dental correction. Surgery involves creating a gap in the joint area followed by interpositioning of barrier material. Sometimes cosmetic corrections are done first followed by functional corrections. After complete case evaluation we will decide the right approach for you.