At the Center for TMJ & Sleep Apnea in Lee’s Summit, we are proud to offer a wide range of TMJ treatments, including holistic treatments like ozone therapy, which offers many benefits for TMJ patients.
Pain Relief
By the time people seek TMJ treatment for relief of jaw, neck, and other types of pain, the pain has often become quite severe. They want to find a treatment that can provide pain relief–especially rapid and lasting pain relief. Ozone therapy can do this.
Scientific studies show that it takes just a few treatments with ozone (~3) to achieve significant pain relief, and this might take as little as a week to ten days to achieve these results. However, there is some disagreement about the extent of the pain relief. In some studies, patients reported that their TMJ pain went away completely. Some studies show that pain relief lasts for at least a year after treatment.
During your consultation, your Lee’s Summit TMJ dentist will let you know how many treatments will likely be necessary to achieve your treatment goals.
Elimination of Disc Displacement
Most people don’t think about disc displacement as something they specifically want to manage. However, disc displacement is a key feature in many cases of TMJ, and it can cause some of the symptoms you do want to manage.
The disc we are talking about is the cushioning pad in the middle of the temporomandibular joint. It provides for smooth motion, helps facilitate a variety of movements, and protects the bones from rubbing together, which can damage the joint. When your disc is displaced, you might notice a popping or clicking sound from the joint, as well as irregular jaw movements. If we don’t restore your disc to its proper position and stop it from sliding out of place, you might experience lockjaw as well as grinding bone.
Studies show that ozone injections can either improve or completely cure disc displacement. One study compared the treatment to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants, showing that ozone offered better results.
Restore Regular Jaw Motion
Disc displacement results in irregular jaw motion. Pain in the jaw joint and beyond can develop as a result of this type of motion. Plus, you might experience frequent biting of lips, cheeks, and tongue because of this irregular jaw motion. Your teeth might experience excessive, even damaging force, leading to toothaches, chipped teeth, cracked teeth, and more.
By restoring the cushioning disc to its healthy position in the temporomandibular joint, ozone therapy returns the jaw to a more regular motion. This may only take a few treatments, and the results can be long-lasting.
Reduced Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the body’s normal healing process. However, chronic inflammation can be harmful. The inflammatory compounds released in the jaw joint can circulate through the body and cause effects throughout the body. In addition to contributing to localized pain, chronic inflammation may contribute to fatigue, insomnia, depression, and other symptoms of TMJ and other chronic pain disorders. Chronic inflammation may contribute to the development of autoimmune disorders and cancer, though this hasn’t specifically been linked to inflammation associated with TMJ.
Ozone therapy of the jaw joint doesn’t just improve symptoms locally. It can reduce the presence of inflammatory factors in the blood, helping to reduce systemic inflammation.
Improved Jaw Opening
An inability to fully open your jaw might be a worrisome sign of TMJ. It can make it hard to do simple daily things like yawning or eating, and it might worry you that your jaw may eventually lock in place. Limited jaw opening could be related to muscle pain, disc displacement, or other dysfunctions in the jaw.
Ozone therapy can improve your ability to open your jaw by treating disc displacement, reducing pain, and controlling inflammation. You’ll likely see your ability to open and close your jaw improve within a relatively short time, perhaps a week or ten days.
Get TMJ Treatment Options in Lee’s Summit
Are you suffering from TMJ symptoms in Lee’s Summit? Do you want to find the best possible treatment, one that can give you great results while avoiding surgery, drugs, and other potential sources of complications? At the Center for TMJ & Sleep Apnea, ozone therapy is just one of many treatments our TMJ dentists offer. We can tell you more about photobiostimulation, ALF appliances, and Rezzimax therapy–the TMJ treatment tool you can take with you and use as necessary.
Please call (816) 795-1000 or use our online form to request an appointment at the Center for TMJ & Sleep Apnea in Lee’s Summit today.
