TMJ Therapy – Fresno, CA

We Treat Your
Jaw Pain at the Source

The jaw is responsible for many complex movements, whether it’s chewing your favorite foods, speaking, yawning, or opening your mouth when it’s time for your professional routine cleaning. However, it’s not normal to be experiencing chronic discomfort in your jaw when you wake up or throughout the day. If these symptoms sound familiar, there’s a chance you may be suffering from undiagnosed TMJ disorder or TMD. Call our dental office to learn how we can help you manage your discomfort once and for all with TMJ therapy in Fresno, CA.

Why Choose Shinkawa Dental for TMJ Therapy?

  • Improved Diagnostics Via Digital X-Rays and Digital Impressions
  • Custom-Made Occlusal Guards Designed by Our Dentists
  • Patient-Focused Dental Team with Decades of Experience

Diagnosis & Treatment

X-ray of jaw and skull bones

Before we can prescribe a treatment plan for your jaw pain, we must first confirm what symptoms you are experiencing and when they occur. Upon asking you a series of questions, we’ll gently examine your mouth and jaw to better understand your condition. In most cases, we’ll also capture digital X-rays of your jaw, observe its range of motion, and listen and identify areas of discomfort. From there, we’ll be able to determine the best treatment option based on your needs.

Equilibrations/ Occlusal Adjustments

Dentist performing occlusal adjustment

While there are many causes of TMJ disorder, including untreated bruxism, it’s also possible that your bite is uneven due to a misplaced or worn-down restoration pushing it out of equilibrium. In order to ensure harmony between your upper and lower arches, we may need to either replace old restorations or make slight modifications to your existing enamel. This ensures that your bite is no longer uneven nor applying disparate pressure to your jaw joints.

Occlusal Splints

Hand holding occlusal splints

In other cases, TMJ disorder can be managed at home by making minor changes to your day-to-day habits as well as using a dedicated oral appliance known as an occlusal splint. This custom-made dental mouthguard is designed to shift the position of the jaw to stabilize it and ease muscle tension. More often than not, this appliance is worn at night when jaw movements are the most common, which is also the case for those managing bruxism (chronic teeth grinding and clenching.)