TMJ/TMD Treatment in Alexandria

A lot of people have TMD or TMJ disorders but don’t realize it. Although some symptoms of the condition are noticeable or painful, others are not.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

Pain in the face, head, jaws, neck, and shoulders
Clicking, popping, deviation, or locking of the TMJ
Premature or abnormal wear of your teeth
Damage or fractures to restorations

Thankfully Dr. Caligan has several options when it comes to treating and preventing TMJ disorders from affecting your day-to-day life. His experience and training with some of the leading TMJ experts allows us to offer comprehensive treatments that can get you smiling again.

NTI Appliance

The NTI appliance is a small acrylic device that snaps onto the front teeth, preventing the back teeth from touching. This effectively shuts off the signals telling your jaw muscles to clench and grind. NTI appliances are generally worn at night or even during the day when needed.

Occlusal Splint

Bite splints, or night guards, protect the teeth from grinding and wearing against one another. This helps minimize premature tooth wear or damage to restorations like fillings and crowns. Splints are typically worn at night when most grinding occurs. The custom splint fits in place snugly until it is removed the next day.

Bite Adjustment and Equilibration

Since it is impossible to stop someone from grinding their teeth, most of our TMJ treatments at Braddock Dental are geared towards minimizing the pain and physical damage that result from the excessive forces generated by the jaw muscles. By selectively restoring and re-shaping teeth, we can provide a protective bite that distributes forces among ALL the teeth rather than concentrating the forces on just a few teeth.

Full Mouth Reconstruction

Unfortunately many people don’t realize they grind their teeth until significant damage has occurred. Since all of the teeth, muscles, and jaws need to be able to function together harmoniously, it becomes necessary to address the entire mouth. With careful planning, we can restore years of damage and give you a great looking smile in the process.