TMJ Treatment (Clicking, Pain, Limited Movement)

Restoring Comfort: Treatment for TMJ Pain, Clicking, and Limited Movement

Constant jaw pain, distracting clicks with every meal, the inability to open your mouth wide—these symptoms can seriously diminish your quality of life. You don't have to live with it. Modern orthodontics views temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction not as a final sentence, but as a solvable problem, most often rooted in a bad bite.

Why do clicking, pain, and limited movement occur?

Inside the jaw joint is a cartilage disc that acts as a shock absorber. With an improper bite, the jaw is forced into an incorrect position. This leads to the displacement of the disc, muscle strain, and consequently, to clicking (as the disc pops in and out of place), pain from inflammation and muscle spasms, and limited movement.

How do we treat TMJ dysfunction?

Our approach is to eliminate the root cause. Treatment is a comprehensive, two-stage process:

1. Splint Therapy: First, we must alleviate the pain and find the correct position for your jaw. For this, a custom splint is made, which you wear for 3-6 months. It relaxes the muscles and allows the joint to settle into a therapeutic, healthy position.

2. Orthodontic Correction: Once the pain is gone and the jaw has stabilized in the correct position, we begin treatment with braces or aligners. Its goal is to rebuild your bite so that the teeth close correctly, holding the jaw in the newly found healthy position. This stage takes 18-30 months and is the key to a long-term result.

Can these symptoms be eliminated forever?

Yes. When we eliminate the cause—the bad bite—we don't just mask the symptoms; we create the conditions for the healthy and harmonious function of the entire masticatory system. This allows you to forget about pain and discomfort and bring back the joy of a full life.