Dr. James Green and Dr. Richard Urbanek at StarImage Dental Boutique & Oral Surgery, help people suffering from Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ/TMD), and their education, training, and skills allow them to transform the lives of people just like you suffering from the painful symptoms of TMJ disorder.

We are glad you’re here: whether you’re researching what can be done for TMJ or if your symptoms are indicative of TMJ, we want you to know there are affordable, highly effective treatment options for TMJ disorder and TMJ injuries that will enable you to speak, eat, and function again as you did before your TMJ dysfunction.

Some people develop TMJ after years of clenching/grinding their teeth, while others develop TMJ for no specific reason. We see many patients who suffered a traumatic blow to the face or head during a motor vehicle collision, and we see other people who suffered a TMJ injury due to some other cause. Regardless of what has caused your TMJ dysfunction, we can help.

We have focused many of our careers on helping people dealing with the painful consequences of a misaligned bite (malocclusion), and surgery is rarely the answer. You need not fear TMJ treatment because many conservative, non-invasive TMJ treatments work.

TMJ Injuries

Macro trauma or micro trauma may cause TMJ, or TMJ can occur over time due to no specific incident. You may have a TMJ injury, or you may re-injure your TMJ and not even know it.

Macro trauma is any type of significant damage caused by a single injury. Examples of macro trauma include damage from the impact of a car accident. Initial damage might consist of a dislocated jaw, head injury, or neck trauma; it is not unusual to see the onset of TMJ disorder after a car accident.

Some painful TMJ symptoms may last long after any fractures heal:

  • Chronic headaches or migraines
  • Ongoing jaw injury or pain in TMJs
  • Aching or spasms in jaw and facial muscles
  • Neck strain injury
  • Clicking or popping noises in the TMJ when eating, chewing, yawning, or making facial expressions
  • Inability to find your bite or excessive awareness of your bite
  • Dizziness
  • Short-term memory loss 

Micro trauma is characterized as a minor internal injury that is caused by repetitive behavior like jaw clenching, teeth grinding, or gum chewing. Bruxism is the medical term for clenching/grinding of the teeth, and many people are not even aware they do this.

The damage to the TMJs is done slowly and over a more extended time. Most people are not even aware of many of the behaviors that cause damage to the TMJ.

Symptoms of micro trauma and bruxism may include the following:

  • Chronic headaches
  • Ear pain or ringing in the ears
  • Neck pain and strain
  • Muscle spasms in the face or jaw

TMJ Treatment Options

The TMJ dentists at StarImage of Southlake, TX, offer several TMJ treatment options, so if you’ve injured or re-injured your TMJ, there are ways we can ease your pain. We will thoroughly evaluate using the most advanced TMJ technology available today. We can monitor the movements of your jaw and listen for sounds that indicate TMJ dysfunction.

We will first gather a thorough medical history and find out what injuries and past trauma to the jaw you’ve suffered, if any. We will use our amazing TMJ technology to discover specific points of concern and devise a treatment plan based on our findings. Dr. Green or Dr. Urbanek will discuss the results with you and offer some treatment options that will immediately ease your painful TMJ symptoms.

Oral appliances, Botox®, behavior modifications, changes in your diet, and specific dental procedures will put your bite in its optimal position, gradually ending your suffering. Eating soft foods, talking less, not chewing gum, and not biting on pens and other things are some of the suggestions we will make. At the same time, we custom design an oral appliance that will align your teeth and bite and relieve your jaw, face, and head of the constant stress and tension that has resulted in your TMJ symptoms.

Learn More About TMJ Injuries

Please call StarImage of Southlake, TX, at (817) 587-4566 today. We also have an online contact form that you can fill out. One of our team members will be in touch to answer questions or get you scheduled.