TMJ/TMD Diet

A temporomandibular joint disorder may cause the jaw to be achy, sore, and difficult to open. Because of these symptoms, it’s helpful to adjust your diet after being diagnosed with this condition. The temporomandibular joint acts as a hinge that causes your jaw to slide forward and side-to-side to assist you with yawning, chewing, and speaking. Our doctors at Vista Dental suggest adjusting your diet to alleviate these discomforts.

Soft food gives your jaw and temporomandibular joints the opportunity to rest and heal. Some excellent (and healthy) foods to eat include cooked vegetables and fruits, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, smoothies, soup, and yogurt. If you must eat food that requires a heavy amount of chewing, we recommended chopping it up into small pieces. If you have a sweet tooth, soft cakes, cobblers, and cheesecake are good things to choose from. They may not be the healthiest of options, but they are delicious and easy to eat!

If you have questions regarding temporomandibular joint disorder, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.vistadentalmh.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Vista Dental located at 7 Strachan Bay SE, Medicine Hat, AB, T1B 4Y2, Canada, call 403-548-7077. 

What is TMD?

The temporomandibular joint is a hinge that connects your jaw bone (mandible) to the temporal bones in your skull, in front of each ear.  A general term for any problem or issue with this joint is temporomandibular disorder, or TMD.  At Vista Dental we can help patients prevent and recover from negative effects of TMD.

Patients that grind or clench their teeth often end up with a sore jaw.  Other patients experience injuries with facial trauma that cause jaw pain, or result in the patient feeling their jaw gets stuck or ‘locks’ in either an open or closed position.  A custom night guard keeps the jaw in a neutral position during sleep, and this helps many patients find relief from TMD symptoms.  For any pain, your dentist may recommend an over-the-counter painkiller or warm and cold compresses.  To prevent further discomfort, you may be assigned stretches for your jaw. 

Whatever your symptoms, you don’t have to suffer with discomfort in your jaw.  To learn more about TMD and the services we provide at the practice, visit VistaDentalMH.Ca for more information. To schedule an appointment at Vista Dental, located at 7 Strachan Bay SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Canada, call 403-548-7077.

Night Guards for Bruxism

Vista Dental offers custom night guards to help patients overcome the negative effects of bruxism.  Bruxism is defined as any regular teeth grinding or clenching of the jaw. Stress can intensify bruxism, but it is most often caused by an abnormal bite or crooked teeth. Some teeth grinders consciously grind their teeth and clench their jaw, but some only do so while asleep and may not even realize it.  Waking up with a dull headache or experiencing pain and stiffness in your jaw are signs you may be grinding your teeth overnight.

Patients who continually grind their teeth often end up needing crowns, bridges, root canals and implants. In severe cases tooth loss can occur, and partial or complete dentures may be needed.  Wearing a custom night guard protects the surface of the teeth, and also properly aligns the jaw to improve breathing and sleep. To fit you with a custom night guard a dentist takes an impression of your teeth, and the night guard is manufactured in a dental lab. When properly cared for, a custom night guard can be used for up to 10 years!  Having a custom night guard made is an easy step to take to protect your teeth and prevent the devastating effects of long-term teeth grinding.

To learn more about night guards and all the services we provide, visit VistaDentalMH.Ca for more information. To schedule an appointment at Vista Dental, located at 7 Strachan Bay SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Canada, call 403-548-7077.