TMJ and Facial Pain

TMJ dysfunction can cause various symptoms, such as pain or tightness in the facial muscles, frequent headaches, limited mouth opening, or unusual sounds in the jaw joint when moving the mouth. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to consult your dentist for further evaluation. At Kharsa Clinics, we combine advanced diagnostic tools with years of experience to uncover the root causes of TMJ dysfunction. This allows us to develop personalized treatment plans for optimal results.

Pain in the face and neck may have several causes, and our clinicians review multiple sources prior to making a diagnosis. Most of this pain originates in muscles, but a dental abscess, neuralgia, vascular, or joint disorder can also cause discomfort that radiates throughout the region. Our doctors use 3D imaging for detailed analysis whenever needed. Teeth clenching and grinding, known as bruxism, often aggravates jaw pain, but a poor bite relationship can also contribute to discomfort.

TMJ headaches often mimic other types of headaches and are the most misunderstood of all. Approximately twenty classifications of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) are recognized, yet medical doctors rarely explore them. This broad category of acute and chronic pain conditions deserves a thorough evaluation before linking the headache to TMJ dysfunction. We would be happy to do an evaluation to rule out or confirm the relationship between the headaches and TMJ dysfunction.

When you clench your teeth, you can feel the muscles on both sides of your face contract. These chewing muscles can generate up to 300 pounds per square inch on your teeth and stress the jaw joints, too. Like any overused muscle and joint, these areas can radiate pain in the area or into other parts of your head. In these cases, we start by evaluating the activity of your facial muscles with advanced diagnostic technology. For many cases, we use this data to design a plan with conservative appliance therapy combined with medications and muscle therapy. This customized approach can significantly improve this condition while preventing irreversible damage to your teeth and jaws.

Recent research shows a correlation between teeth grinding during sleep and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The relationship is not entirely clear, but people who clench or grind are more likely to suffer from apnea. Our clinicians consider a holistic approach when they evaluate your case. They explore whether there is a link between your symptoms and other systemic findings to develop a plan that addresses your concerns.

Most TMJ cases improve with conservative, non-surgical treatments that provide noticeable relief in a short time. At Kharsa Clinics, we begin with advanced diagnostics to assess your condition, then tailor a treatment plan to your needs. This may include lifestyle and habit changes, appliance therapy, myofunctional and physical therapy, photobiomodulation, medication (such as Botox injections or muscle relaxants), psychological evaluation, and, in rare cases, surgery. Photobiomodulation, a therapy long used in functional medicine and chiropractic care, is one of the innovative treatments we offer. Gentle laser application over 5–10 sessions, spaced two days apart, has been proven to reduce pain and inflammation in TMJ joints and muscles.

Our team always considers conservative solutions for your concerns, and we only recommend surgery as a last resort treatment for TMJ disorder. In some cases, a surgical approach may offer the best opportunity to improve your quality of life. But our specialists will always discuss their findings and all options to help design a personalized approach