What to Avoid When Suffering Jaw Pain
Don't Make Things Worse!
Things to Avoid
If you are unsure about your diagnosis or treatment, you should avoid having any type of “irreversible” therapy including:
- Orthodontics or braces*
- Equilibration – grinding the teeth down to improve your bite*
- Crowning the teeth*
- Tooth extraction
- Root canals
- ANY type of surgery for TMJ or the jaw
*The American Dental Association refers to these procedures as “phase two therapy” and recommends that they only be performed AFTER successfully having “phase one therapy.”
Jaw Pain Treatments Rapid City Sleep Center
TMJ treatment in Rapid City usually involves a conservative therapy plan combined with the use of oral orthotics or “splints.”
In our office, splints for daytime use are usually made to be worn on the bottom teeth, making it less noticeable, more comfortable, and easier to speak while it is in. Generally, we prescribe a different splint for night usage, worn on the upper teeth.
In addition to using splints, other therapies for jaw pain treatment may include:
- Prolotherapy
- Therapeutic injections to help “unlock” your jaw
- Botox
- Trigger point injections
- Medical acupuncture
- Moist heat application
- Massage therapy
- TENS therapy
- Iontophoresis
- Ultrasound
- Medications
