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TMJ
Relieving Pain So Atlanta Can Get Back To Life!
TMJ dysfunction is a term used to describe numerous disorders that result in disharmony of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), muscles that position and move the jaw, and teeth. The TMJ is the joint that connects the upper and lower jaws; you move it every time you bite, chew and speak. When the top jaw and the bottom jaw aren’t in balance (called malocclusion), the TMJ is affected, causing a variety of signs and symptoms, from tooth grinding to migraines.
The great majority of the time we can restore your jaw to balance and relieve your signs and symptoms, including pain, through precision, non-surgical TMJ treatment.
Sally~
Today I have a beautiful smile and I am pain free! I credit both to Dr. Davis. At 17 I was in a car accident, before seat belts and padded dashes, and my two front teeth were powdered on the dash board. This was the beginning of my “life in a dentist’s chair.”
As long as I can remember I have worn a bite guard while sleeping to help prevent more damage from clinching and grinding my teeth during the night. Over the years I would experience some discomfort in my jaw.
The next incident that caused trauma and really put me in distress was getting hit in the left jaw/ear with a hard hit tennis ball! What pain. This resulted in scar tissue that eventually closed my mouth. I had surgery on the left side of my jaw which proved to be very beneficial.
Over the years, however, I continued to have pain in both sides. My dentist at that time would constantly be grinding on my teeth to get my bite back aligned to help me find some relief. There would be times I couldn’t open my mouth very wide due to the inflammation. Apparently both discs had slipped and were no longer serving their purpose.
A few years ago or so I broke my bite guard and went to my dentist to have it replaced. He replaced it with one made from a different substance, which I thought I would prefer. It wasn’t long after I started wearing the new one that my jaws started hurting again. The pain got so bad that my dentist realized it was beyond his skills and sent me to a colleague of his, Dr. Todd Davis to be evaluated.
The first thing Dr. Davis did was to make a new bite guard and began working on getting me out of pain. I saw him frequently as he continued to work toward a resolution to my TMJ. Once out of pain he put together a plan to correct my problem. My husband and I met with Dr. Davis and he explained his extensive plan to crown some of my teeth so he could get my bite working properly. He was 100% honest and upfront with us about what he thought would be the end result and the costs.
Since I was going to go to this much trouble getting my mouth/jaw fixed I decided to go ahead and get my front crowns replaced and the two side teeth (which had bonding on them) fixed as well so I could have my teeth whitened and have a better looking smile.
It was a three year process; and it was expensive, but like the investment in our children’s education, it was worth every penny! The plan was implemented just as Dr. Davis indicated and there were no hidden costs or surprises. The staff was amazing throughout the process and worked diligently making sure I was comfortable and understood the procedures for each visit. I had to stay in the provisional (temporary) crowns for an extended period of time, but no problem, they looked better than the old porcelain crowns they replaced! I was surprised at how good these temporary crowns looked and functioned. Even a hygienist friend of mine commented on how good they looked.
Dr. Davis has an amazing porcelain craftsman who made me the most incredible crowns! My front teeth look better than my original ones! No one knows they are crowns! And my pain – well there just isn’t any! Dr. Davis obviously understands how the jaw works and the importance of keeping the integrity of your teeth. Putting my trust in him was a wise decision and some of the best money I ever spent; I no longer grimace when I see my smiling face in photographs!
I still wear my bite guard every night and now I only get to see the good dentist twice a year when he comes in to check my teeth and gums after my bi-annual cleanings!