You probably have quite a bit going on right now as you prepare for Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season. With advances in technology and the internet, fortunately we can ease some of the burden thanks to online grocery shopping and Black Friday coupons.
Still, getting your home and your dinner table ready for Thanksgiving weekend can be really hectic. You’ve managed through years worth of traveling relatives and holiday dinners with ease. But this year, you have an unwanted guest.
Pain!
Yes, a painful, nagging headache that won’t seem to go away. You’ve tried over-the-counter pain relievers, but the headaches return day after day.
More than that, you’ve recently had a hard time opening and closing your mouth all the way. It’s as if someone clamped an imaginary vice around your head! You wonder if it’s related to the pain in your right ear, but then you dismiss it as too coincidental.
No. You have a house to clean, a Thanksgiving menu to plan, and a guest room to prepare. The pain can wait until after the holiday. You think…
Beck Dental Care may be able to lend a helpful suggestion.
You could be a victim of one of the most uncomfortable and disruptive disorders we see in our Columbia, TN dental office. We’re talking about
TMJ
, and in today’s blog, you’ll learn more about how it can ruin your Thanksgiving, and how with help from Beck Dental Care, you don’t have to let it!
TMJ Pain Can Ruin Your Thanksgiving
TMJ is the temporomandibular joint just below your ears. It’s that hinge that’s constantly in motion when you yawn, speak, laugh, and chew. TMJ, which is commonly accepted to mean TMJ disorder, can occur when your jaw joint is somehow misaligned.
It can be spurred by an accident or injury that involves jaw trauma or even if you’re under a lot of stress that has you, perhaps unwittingly, keeping your jaw locked and clenched tightly all throughout the day.
It doesn’t necessarily matter if the misalignment happens suddenly, it was a more gradual shift, or whether it’s something you’ve always had. The symptoms are just as miserable and disruptive to your life either way!
Here are some shared symptoms TMJ sufferers deal with:
-Painful headaches
-Clicking or popping sounds when you chew
-Tension in the facial region
-Pain similar to an earache
-Sore, tense muscles in the neck, shoulders, and back
-Painful chewing
-Lockjaw
-Teeth grinding & clenching
That’s a pretty hefty list of symptoms, and by the looks of it, it’s no wonder why this disorder makes it’s so tough to go about your day to day life!
But Beck Dental Care can help you!
Enjoy A Pain-Free Thanksgiving With TMJ Treatment
Although experts have never pointed to just one specific cause of TMJ, there does seem to be agreement on some common factors that pose an increased risk for TMJ among patients:
-Poorly positioned teeth
-Trauma to the jaw
-Pain sensitivity
-Poor posture
-Females ages 18-44
-Chronic Stress
-Inflammatory arthritis
All these risk factors aside, anyone can suffer from TMJ disorder. But fortunately, you don’t have to suffer for long thanks to Beck Dental Care!
With custom-crafted mouthguards from our Columbia, TN dental office, your upper and lower teeth can remain separated, and you’ll be able to avoid grinding and clenching your teeth.
This is great news because it’s that added pressure on your joint that tends to aggravate your TMJ headaches and other symptoms.
Schedule TMJ Treatment Today!
Do you need to bring your A game back to prepare for Thanksgiving? Do you want to focus on the tasks ahead of you instead of pain and muscle tension? Do you want to enjoy a nice visit with your family without the distraction and discomfort of TMJ symptoms?
You still can with help from Dr. Beck and our team at Beck Dental Care! We know the holidays can be stressful enough without piling on the painful effects of your jaw alignment issues.
You deserve relief, and our TMJ treatment can help you get it in time for a nice, relaxing holiday season! Call our Columbia, TN dental office today at (931) 388-8452 or fill out our
online form
to schedule an appointment.