San Ramon Cosmetic Dentistry Blog | Sean Michael Anderson, D.D.S.

Jaw pain, or TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder), can often occur when the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is misaligned so that it causes undue stress and pressure. The jaw joint is located at the side of the face in front of the ear. There are two joints, one on either side of the face. The joint is comprised of the lower jaw bone (mandible), which fits into a hollow in the skull’s temporal bone, and a disc that separates the two bones.

When I treat jaw pain in my clinic, I must first establish a correct diagnosis.

• Is pain due to disorders of the muscles of the head and face?
• Could an injured TMJ disc or disorder of the joint structures be causing pain? (i.e., degenerative joint diseases, such as osteoarthritis)
• Are misaligned teeth due to wear and tear or missing teeth causing the problem?

Sometimes jaw pain should be managed rather than eliminated. In many other cases, reconstruction can relieve pain by aligning your bite. I am a trained neuromuscular dentist and a graduate of the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI), the top post-graduate dental school in the world. If a technique exists to relieve your pain, I can implement it.

If you are in the San Ramon, California area and are experiencing jaw pain or any other symptom of TMD, please contact Dr. Sean Anderson today to make an appointment.