Jaw Pain - CARBONDALE, IL

Find the Source of Your Jaw Pain

jaw pain source jacob laun

Discover Life-Changing Relief

Jaw pain can range from mild to severe. It can be a small distraction in your day or lead to unbearable headaches that leave you inoperable. Jaw pain, difficulty chewing, and tinnitus or ringing in the ear, can all point to the same source. With an in-depth understanding of oral health, we recognize that the whole is made of many distinct parts. Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ), your bite (how your teeth fit together), and even unhealthy oral habits can all affect one another and contribute to your facial pain and your daily distraction. Finding a way for each part to align and work as one is the task we hope to lead, if not play some part in. Doctors from dentists to surgeons to sleep specialists may play a role in your journey to proper oral health and life-changing care. Don’t wait any longer. Treat your jaw pain in Carbondale, IL at our state-of-the-art practice Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Carbondale, and receive the care you need for a functioning and healthy life!

Common Causes of Jaw Pain

  • TMJ disorders
  • Malocclusion
  • Behavioral habits
  • Teeth grinding (bruxism)
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Obstructed airway
Jaw Bone

Resolve Your Pain, Live a Healthy Life

Before we provide treatment, we’ll invite you to our Carbondale, IL practice to perform an exam on your jaw, review in-depth scans of your oral structures, and may even recommend a sleep study be performed as well. We’ll also consider your whole-body health, posture, and breathing. Depending on your unique case, we’ll review a treatment plan with you which could include one or more of the following solutions. 

Treatment Options

The growth and development of your mouth can lead to improper tongue position, poor swallowing, and breathing issues. With myofunctional therapy, you can reform these missteps and restore proper balance. Unhealthy habits as a child, or as an adult, including thumb-sucking, stress, and anxiety, can also be the source. Reducing stress in your daily life may release the grinding and clenching habits you frequently experience and be a solution that helps more than just your jaw pain. Additionally, performing exercises and building targeted jaw muscles can also relieve unnecessary pain and restore normal function.

Oftentimes TMJ disorders and sleep apnea can cause significant jaw pain. These are frequently resolved with custom oral appliances or mouthguards. Some are worn during the day and others are only worn at night. Designed specifically for your mouth some mouthguards can even be used to alter your oral structures and guide your tongue to rest in a healthier position. Whether it’s allowing you to breathe easier or protecting your jaw and teeth from unhealthy bruxism habits, oral appliances are commonly advised for patients experiencing mild to moderate facial pain.

We will always recommend jaw exercises and oral appliances before resorting to surgery. However, in many complex cases specialized surgery can provide truly life-changing results and relief that patients didn’t think was possible. Only performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, corrective jaw surgery can resolve severe overbites, underbites, open bites, and crossbites. Jaw surgery can transform how your jaw looks, feels, and functions, and you’ll enjoy a healthier and more balanced life!

Botox® is a neurotoxin protein that can help treat symptoms of TMJ disorders. You may benefit from this treatment if other methods to relieve jaw pain have not worked. Botox has helped patients relieve jaw tension, headaches due to teeth grinding, and lockjaw in cases of severe stress.

Arthocentesis also referred to as joint aspiration is a procedure where our doctor uses a needle to remove fluid from the affected joint. This treatment allows your joint greater mobility and increased range of motion.

Arthroplasty is often referred to as joint replacement therapy where the doctor performs surgical reconstruction or replacement of a joint. In this advanced treatment, our doctor will restore your joint by resurfacing the bones.

Find relief from jaw pain without the headaches.

Schedule your consultation to learn more.

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