All Smiles Family Dentistry is the only clinic in the Champaign-Urbana area offering treatment for provides chronic jaw joint pain using state of the art treatments.

Millions of people have chronic pain in their head, face, and jaw. Orofacial pain can stem from a number of conditions, such as grinding or clenching teeth, muscle tension, and jaw joint dysfunction.

Grinding and clenching of the teeth, a condition known as “bruxism,” is a major cause of orofacial pain. These are most of the time involuntary actions that can lead to permanent damage of teeth and dental work, jaw pain, and headaches. Most patient are not aware that they are grinding or clenching until they have a dental exam completed by their dentist.

Another common cause of orofacial pain is jaw joint dysfunction, known as “temporomandibular joint disorder” (TMJD). In combination with strong muscles in the lower face, the two temporomandibular joints—one on each side of the jaw—are responsible for the jaw opening and closing. Symptoms of TMJD include pain when opening and closing, audible clicking and popping sounds, the jaw locking open or closed, and difficulty eating and chewing. TMJD can also cause recurring headaches and migraines, pain in the neck and shoulders, and constant tension or tightness of the muscles in the jaw and face.

Read about the safe and effective treatment options for chronic orofacial pain that All Smiles Family Dentistry offers below:

A common treatment option for patients who grind and clench is an occlusal guard. Occlusal guards—also known as a bite guards or night guards—help to “cushion” the jaw and relieve pain in the joint, as well as prevent damage to teeth and dental work, caused by grinding and clenching teeth. These custom appliances are worn mostly at night time to prevent such grinding and clenching while a patient sleeps, though they are occassionally also worn during the day by those that clench or grind during stressful working hours. This treatment is prescribed to patients with mild to severe TMJ pain. Occlusal guards are custom dental appliances made by taking a digital impression of a patient’s teeth; the appliance is then designed and 3-D printed here at our office! Click here to read more about our 3-D printing technology!

Patients with over active facial muscles can experience jaw pain, headaches, and neck tension. There are three treatment options to help give patient pain relief with these problems.

  1. Xeomin and Botox Treatments: Xeomin is an FDA-approved medication that can be used to help relax tense muscles around the jaw joint. This botox-type formula can greatly relieve pain in the jaw, forehead, upper back and neck. Xeomin works by preventing stressed, overused muscles from being used with as much force and vigor, allowing for significant improvement of pain caused by teeth clenching and grinding, as well as other TMJD-related issues. Xeomin treatment usually lasts 3-4 months. To prevent TMJD-related pain from returning, patients are often recommended to receive Xeomin treatments regularly. Xeomin is prescribed for patients with moderate to severe orofacial pain, including TMJ pain.
  2. Trigger Point Therapy: Trigger point therapy is a technique used to relieve muscle pain and tension, typically done in the upper back, neck and jaw muscles. These areas are often responsible for headaches and jaw joint pain. This technique “dissolves” the stubborn knots patients feel in the muscles causing them discomfort. Trigger point therapy is prescribed to patients suffering moderate to severe orofacial pain, including TMJ pain.
  3. PDO Threads: PDO (which stands for polydioxanone) is a synthetic, dissolvable material placed into the stubborn muscle knots that cause pain and discomfort. These threads provide muscle relaxation by stimulating the production of collagen and other connective proteins within the muscle. PDO threads are often used in conjunction with trigger point therapy and Xeomin treatment, and are prescribed to patient suffering moderate to severe orofacial pain, including TMJ pain.

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