Serving Patients in the areas of Grand Rapids, Holland, and Big Rapids MITMJ disorder, it presents as jaw pain that can be consistent or at its worst upon waking up in the morning. It can cause headaches, tooth pain, and sometimes even snoring. Most over the counter medications only mask the pain from your TMJ disorder. If this sounds familiar, it’s time to contact the TMJ specialists in Grand Rapids at TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan.
Let’s take a look at the connection between sleep apnea and TMJ disorder, and how the Grand Rapids dentists at TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan can help you get a good night’s sleep, pain-free!
The TMJ joint, also known as the temporomandibular joints, are the joints that connect your jaw to your skull. When the lower jaw falls into dysfunction either from an injury or a misaligned bite, the jaw joints become inflamed and may cause a significant amount of pain, often chronic in nature. Bruxism, which is when you clench and grind your teeth, also can lead to a case of TMJ disorder.
Breathing is a necessary part of life. It provides oxygen for the blood and stimulates red blood cells to function properly. It also helps the brain signal the rest of the body to work as it should. These important actions shouldn’t stop when you’re sleeping, but for some people, it does. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, your airway is obstructed, or it collapses while you sleep, hence the snoring sounds. These episodes of paused breathing cause the brain to awaken slightly and often causes teeth grinding and clenching.
Restless sleep often leads to bruxism, which is why sleep apnea and TMJ disorder can be connected. If you’re experiencing symptoms of either, you should schedule an appointment with a doctor of sleep medicine in the Grand Rapids area and TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan. We not only can properly diagnose either disorder but provide you with simple solutions to help you breathe better while sleeping, eliminating your sleep apnea and your TMJ disorder.
Obstructive sleep apnea may cause you to feel tired throughout the day, have trouble focusing or being forgetful, although snoring is one of the most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.
If you have TMJ disorder, your jaws will be sore or painful as if you have chewed gum all day long. You may also experience headaches, toothaches, or neck and back pain in severe cases. Clicking and popping sounds when opening the mouth may also be signs of TMJ disorder. These symptoms should not be ignored because doing so could lead to health issues, including damage to your teeth.
If you would like to schedule a consultation with our sleep apnea doctors in the Grand Rapids area, please contact TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan by calling (616) 458-0631.
TMJ & Sleep Disorders of Michigan is here to treat sleep apnea for patients in the areas of Big Rapids, Grand Rapids, and Holland in Michigan.
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