Ask the Dental Experts
Our philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions.Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Jaw Popping
Q: My jaw pops on one side when I open it wide, but there is really not too much pain associated with TMJ. What could be causing this? Should I attempt to rectify it?
A: The answer to your question is that you have a displaced disc on the side that is popping. The disc is displaced anteriorly (toward the front) and is recaptured by the head of the condyle when you open very wide. When you close the head of the condyle pops ofo of it and you may even experience a slight pop at that time.
I am of the opinion that it is not in your best interest to rectify it if you are not having any pain issues with it. Once you try treating a pain free popping joint you can get into bigger trouble. If a patient comes to my office with a popping joint I will only treat them if they are having pain or severe problems associated with it. If they are not we note that they have a popping joint with no pain and recommend that they wear a night guard at night. The purpose of the night guard is to take pressure off of the joint at night and this will help keep the patient pain free.
Thanks again for your question and I welcome you to come to my office to have your TMJ checked out and evaluated.
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