Jaw joint therapy is a growing horizon and there are band-aids. Whether you’re getting Botox, whether you’re getting injections, whether you’re seeing a chiropractor, whether you’re doing dry needling, all these things are a very band-aidy sort of way of fixing things. It doesn’t really fix the problem. And in our office, what’s most important to us in doing jaw joint therapy and getting people out of pain and getting people comfortable and getting them back to functioning normally is to figure out the why did we get into the situation we’re in and what do we have to do now to get you out of that situation so that you don’t end up in the same problem again. Fixing a jaw joint isn’t all that difficult. Getting it comfortable, it’s a very simple philosophy on how to make that all work and how to get it to function properly and get you out of pain temporarily, but that long-term effect. We are always looking for that long-term effect. How can we get you healthy, get you feeling better, get that pain to go away? There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning with a headache or waking up with a migraine. And I see these patients all the time waking up with migraines, waking up with headaches, headaches throughout the day, jaw joint pain, facial pain. I love getting people out of pain. It’s fun to see a patient who comes in and seeing that when you look at them, they look tired, they’re worn out, they’re stressed, they can’t cope. We have questionnaires that let us know where are you on the depression scale, on the anxiety scale. And it’s interesting to see how much that jaw joint pain is influencing their anxiety and depression. How much their doctors are looking for medications to band-aid it, to get you out of depression, get you out of anxiety, when it really all stems right back to being in chronic pain and discomfort. And so it’s fun to see them start, to come in and go through the whole process with us. And it takes us 17 weeks total. But to see them go through that process and to see their smiles and to see their energy and to see them being able to face life again. That is all about what it is to get you out of pain and fix the problem and not just band-aid it.
Stop Your Jaw Pain With Our TMJ Therapy in Payson
There’s no need to tolerate chronic jaw pain, popping when opening and closing your mouth, and difficulty chewing. These are common symptoms of a TMJ disorder. With personalized TMJ therapy in Payson, the Gunnerson Dental team can help eliminate these symptoms. When you visit us for help, you can expect:
- Joint vibration analysis to test the function of your TMJs
- A comprehensive treatment plan that will meet your unique needs
- Conservative approaches to manage TMJ pain and dysfunction
- Chewing, speaking, and yawning without restriction or discomfort
- Better overall quality of life
- Education and guidance on lifestyle changes and at-home care tips
Call us today at 385-600-6718 to schedule a consultation.
Get the Help You Deserve With Our TMJ Treatment
TMJ disorders can be complex and have far-reaching impact on your life. It can be frustrating and debilitating to live with this disorder. That’s why we offer multiple TMJ solutions designed to address the root cause and provide lasting relief. Our experienced dental team stays up-to-date with the latest research and techniques in TMJ therapy, ensuring that you receive the most effective care available.
Your TMJ treatment options include:
- Night Appliance – Worn while you sleep, a night appliance will stabilize your TMJs and prevent clenching, grinding, and even blockage of your airway.
- Day Appliance – A day appliance is custom-made to hold your TMJs in a stable position when you need it most, like when you are eating!
- Myofunctional Therapy – This innovative approach focuses on retraining the muscles of your face, jaw, and tongue to function properly. This reduces strain on your TMJs and alleviates your symptoms. Our skilled team will guide you through a series of exercises and techniques to improve your oral posture, breathing, and swallowing patterns. This promotes long-term relief and improved overall health.
- MLS or Summus Laser Treatment – Advanced laser technology provides gentle, non-invasive relief for TMJ pain and inflammation. The MLS (Multiwave Locked System) and Summus lasers deliver targeted light energy to the affected areas. This stimulates healing, reduces pain, and improves joint function. This leading-edge treatment offers a safe, comfortable, and effective alternative to more invasive procedures.
Your TMJ treatment will begin with a complete evaluation, including a detailed medical history, physical examination, and advanced imaging when necessary. Your dentist uses joint vibration analysis, computerized technology that helps diagnose TMJ disorder. These steps allow your dentist to accurately diagnose your condition and determine the best ways to treat it. Throughout your treatment, you’ll receive support, guidance, and monitoring. Our team will ensure that you’re making progress toward your goal of a pain-free life.
In addition to treating TMJ disorders, our practice also provides relief for migraines and headaches, which are often caused by TMJ problems. The tension in your jaw joints can lead to pain in your head, neck, and shoulders, contributing to headache pain. By addressing the underlying TMJ issues, we can help you improve your overall quality of life.
In addition, we can use a procedure called a sphenopalatine ganglion block. This treatment involves delivering local anesthesia to the nerve cells located in the back of your nasal passages. It can relieve chronic pain from migraines and some other types of headaches.
Call Gunnerson Dental at 385-600-6718 for TMJ therapy in Payson. Take action on your discomfort today! You can also schedule online. Besides Payson, we also serve the communities of Provo, Springville, Spanish Fork, Salem, Woodland Hills, Mapleton, Nephi, Genola, Goshen, Eureka, Orem, and Santaquin.
Yes, our TMJ treatment has been able to help many patients over the years relieve their pain for good. No matter which type of treatment you end up going with, the team here at TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of Utah will make sure it’s the right one for you. Besides you, no one wants your treatment to be successful more than we do.
Our providers are Fee for Service/Out of Network by necessity. Historically, medical insurance excludes coverage for TMJ/Pain treatment and limits access to specific appliances for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a medical condition treated with a dental device. Because it is a medical condition, only medical insurance will provide coverage. This is subject to your annual medical insurance deductible. If you have met your deductible, they will generally cover more expenses. If you have not, your payment will apply to your deductible for other services you may need this year. Great news: your care at our office is not limited because we do not contract with insurance companies. You and the provider determine what is best for you versus the insurance company dictating your care. We do not accept insurance because we care about you too much. If we did, our practice would not be in existence to serve the many patients we’ve treated. Medical insurance chooses to not reasonably participate in paying for conservative treatment for TMD, Craniofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine. So, why do you not work with insurance? The short answer is because we cannot deliver the quality of care you deserve with the constraints that insurance companies force upon the doctor and patient. The limitations they place makes it impossible to deliver the services we provide. Contracting does not allow patients to choose what they want to do. This is precisely why the major medical establishments locally do not participate in the care of these issues, as they cannot get reasonably reimbursed for it to be practical. Here are some examples of the constraints currently present: – Medical insurance does not approve treatment of mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) without a prior heart attack, stroke, depression, and comorbid conditions. We believe It’s best to treat the breathing disorders prior to a patient developing the chronic diseases that they contribute to. They will not approve treatment of OSA with oral appliance if patient has signs or symptoms of TMD. – We often recommend a 3D CBCT (Cone Beam CT scan) to help with our diagnostic evaluation of the anatomy and in January 2022 the CPT code 76102 was eliminated thus cannot be billed to medical insurance. – Every provider across the country often utilizes “orthotics” or appliances for treatment of TMD, bruxism, etc. In July 2015 the CPT code S8262 for TMJ Orthotic Appliances was eliminated, thus it cannot be billed to medical insurance. Medicare – Medicare does not cover TMJ/TMD treatment, thus we cannot contract or be a preferred provider. Insurance companies do not determine the standard of care for TMJ disorders and Sleep Breathing Disorders. Physicians and Dentists determine the standard of care. The American Dental Association has some good guidelines for care, but the ADA is not a credentialling body. There are two credentialling bodies concerning Craniofacial/Orofacial/TMD issues: the American Board of Craniofacial Pain and the American Board of Orofacial Pain. Recently the ADA has approved Orofacial Pain as a specialty and the credentialling board is the ABOP. Thus, Federal Courts have allowed Board Certified individuals to recognize their specialties to the public; hopefully, this will translate into better insurance coverage in the future. What’s fascinating is that most insurance plans that cover TMJ surgery require non-surgical procedures first; the same procedures that they don’t pay for.
Sometimes, yes. Inflammation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can trigger discomfort in the adjacent muscles of the head and neck, sometimes mistaken for migraines. Wearing a mouthguard can help ease the pain stemming from TMJ inflammation and potentially provide relief from headaches.