Now that summer is here, you can finally slow down a bit. With the kids home from school for a few weeks, you can take time out to enjoy fun outdoor activities with your little ones. Afternoons at the local pool or the park, family trips to the beach, and evening summer barbecues are all reasons to enjoy the season.
But if you suffer from frequent headaches and migraines, all of this fun will take a backseat to the chronic pain you must be feeling. You can try to stay ahead of it through over-the-counter medications, but when the problem persists with no apparent cause, how are you expected to cope?
You can’t possibly give yourself, your family, or your friends the time and attention you’d like to because all you can focus on is the pain and misery. But at Rod Gleave, DMD in Salt Lake City, you can find a team of highly-qualified professionals who have the experience to get to the root cause of your painful headaches and migraines and effectively treat it.
Dr. Gleave might be able to attribute your painful symptoms to what’s known as TMJ disorder. TMJ refers to your temporomandibular joint that connects your jaw to your skull. And it’s one of the most overworked joints in your body because you use it for almost everything. From speaking to laughing to yawning to chewing, your TMJ almost never gets a break.
So let’s take a look at TMJ disorder, or TMD, and see if it might be what’s behind your frequent headaches and other symptoms.
Do You Have TMD?
Only an appointment with Dr. Gleave can help you know for sure if you have TMJ disorder. But there are some common symptoms associated with it that can help you further narrow your search for reasons behind your discomfort.
We’ve already mentioned frequent painful headaches and migraines. But TMD can also bring with it things like chronic tiredness, soreness and muscle tension in your jaw, neck, and head, and even earache-like pain.
The timing of your symptoms can be significant, too. If you have soreness or tenderness in your jaw that’s most noticeable in the morning when you wake up, you could have TMD. This is because nighttime teeth grinding is a behavior that’s commonly linked to this condition.
You might also notice popping or clicking sounds in your jaw while you’re eating. So it’s not always just about the symptoms but the timing of those symptoms.
What Can Be Done About TMJ Disorder?
One of the first things that will happen when you come in for an appointment with Dr. Gleave regarding possible TMD is to talk with him about what’s going on in your life. Together, you can better explore possible causes of your symptoms and determining if one of those causes is TMD.
Here are some of the more common reasons a person might develop TMJ disorder:
-Arthritis in your jawbone
-A past or recent trauma or injury to your jaw, neck, or head
-Grinding or clenching of your teeth and jaw
-Improper bite alignment
-Stress
Treat TMJ Disorder NOW So You Can Enjoy Your Summer!
There is absolutely no reason to let TMJ disorder ruin your summer. You have too many fun activities to enjoy with your family to let painful, debilitating symptoms like tiredness and migraines stand in the way. That’s especially true since you have our qualified team of professionals at Rod Gleave, DMD to help you!
If your arm or your leg were always hurting, you’d get it checked out, right? Why should your headaches be any different? If you get them all the time and are constantly throwing OTC pain relievers at the problem without any relief, it’s time to change your strategy.
These symptoms can interfere with your life from every angle, and that’s why it’s especially important to make an appointment with Dr. Geave so you can start living pain-free now! It’s not enough to treat the symptoms. We can help you find the cause to get you the relief you need for good.
Call us TODAY at (801) 590-7947 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment with us here in Salt Lake City!
