If you suffer from a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, you may believe that you cannot have dental implants inserted. Because you constantly grind your teeth and clench your jaw, you may believe that getting the implants is not an option for you. However, you may still be able to benefit from the implants. Below are a couple of answers to questions you may have about getting dental implants when you have TMJ.

1.  Can Having Dental Implants Help Your TMJ Symptoms?

Besides wearing down your teeth because you clench your jaw and grind your teeth, your TMJ may cause you to constantly have sore jaws. Especially when you wake up in the morning, your cheek muscles may feel tense, and depending on the degree of tension, you may experience either soreness or even sharp pain when you try to speak or eat.

Dental implants may be able to help with these symptoms. One of the reasons why you experience tension and pain is that your teeth are out of alignment because some of them are missing. This misalignment can further compound your symptoms because the pressure caused by your TMJ is distributed unequally.

However, once you fill in the gaps with implants, the teeth are brought back into alignment. While this will not cure your TMJ, it may help reduce the symptoms that you experience almost every day.

2.  Are There Any Special Considerations for Taking Care of the Implants?

Another question you may have about dental implants and TMJ involves what is necessary to take care of them. More than likely, the reason why you have missing teeth is that the grinding and pressure you experience with TMJ wore down your natural teeth to the point that they needed to be removed. You may worry that you will cause damage to the implants as well.

The main special care consideration when you have dental implants is protecting the implants. This protection can be accomplished by having your dentist fit you for a mouthguard that you can wear while you are asleep. The guard will form a protective cushion over the implants and your remaining teeth so that the effects of the pressure and grinding are minimized.

If you have TMJ, you can still enjoy having your missing teeth replaced with implants, and they may even help with your symptoms. To learn more about getting dental implants when you suffer from TMJ, contact a dentist near you.

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