Traditional Treatments

Talk to your Dentist about these tried-and-true treatments for TMD:

• Medications. Your dentist can prescribe higher doses of NSAIDs if you need them for pain and swelling. He might suggest a muscle relaxer to relax your jaw if you grind or clench your teeth. Or an anti-anxiety medication to relieve stress, which may bring on TMD. In low doses they can also help reduce or control pain. Muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs, and antidepressants are available by prescription only.
• A splint or night guard. These plastic mouthpieces fit over your upper and lower teeth so they don’t touch. They lessen the effects of clenching or grinding and correct your bite by putting your teeth in a more correct position. What’s the difference between them? You wear night guards while you sleep. You use a splint all the time. Your Dentist will tell you which type you need.
• Dental work. Your Dentist can replace missing teeth and usecrowns, bridges, or braces to balance the biting surfaces of your teeth or to correct a bite problem.