If you are suffering with tooth pain or jaw pain, your body is telling you something…perhaps “loudly”.
Dr. Randall Brucken and Dr. Lawrence Stubbs both take great pride in the opportunity dentistry give them to get patients out of pain and restore smiles.
Don’t continue to suffer from tooth pain or jaw pain.
Tooth Pain
Pain in and around your teeth can be caused by a variety of issues including decay, infection, fracture – or some other issue causing the nerves in your tooth to be irritated.
Dr. Brucken and Dr. Stubbs can diagnose your particular situation with a simple exam and digital x-ray.
With this information, we will provide you with your specific dental options to alleviate your discomfort. Our goal is that you have a great dental experience and incredible care.
Our staff will be interested in understanding specifics about your pain. You can expect questions, such as when the pain started, how severe it is, where the pain is located, what makes the pain worse, and what makes it better.
Jaw Pain
Issues with your jaw can bring with it many symptoms.
This hinge or joint of your upper and lower jaw is often referred to as the initials TMJ, it’s no wonder we use the initials as it stands for “temporo-mandibular joint.” This wonderful joint makes it possible to eat and talk – and when it is irritated, can be a source of serious trouble.
Problems with TMJ can present themselves in many, often confusing, ways.
Our Lafayette patients sometimes start by visiting their medical doctor – thinking they might have an ear infection or sinus issues. It is certainly important to rule out other potential causes for pain.
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Some of the most common symptoms for TMJ issues include:
- A clicking or popping sound when you open or close your mouth
- Headaches (often mimicking migraines), earaches, as well as pain and pressure behind the eyes
- Pain brought on by yawning, opening the mouth widely or chewing
- Jaws that “get stuck,” lock or go out of place
- Tenderness of the jaw muscles
- A sudden change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together
How can issues with your TMJ be treated?
Dr. Brucken and Dr. Stubbs wish they could provide one simple cure – or a simple solution to drastically reduce the symptoms.
Comfort Dental may recommend one or more of the following to help:
- Clenching and grinding your teeth is common – often unknowingly as we sleep.
Fortunately we have an appliance that can help. It is sometimes called a night guard or bite splint. It is custom-made to fit your mouth. The night guard slips over your teeth and keeps them from grinding against each other.
- Common over-the-counter medications can also assist to “calm” the TMJ inflammation and irritation. Ibuprophen and other common pain relievers can be effective, especially in conjunction with the use of a night guard.
- Controlling muscle tension in the jaw is really key to helping alleviate TMJ symptoms. Eliminating stress is a challenge we all face, whether our jaw hurts or not. Therefore, any efforts you can make to learn relaxation techniques will be beneficial.
If you are experiencing tooth pain or jaw pain, Comfort Dental would be happy to help!
Talking and eating are important to everyone – and no one needs a sore tooth or jaw to slow them down.
One of the most rewarding things our dental office can do is reduce or eliminate pain for our patients. We are right here in Lafayette to help if you need us!
