One of the often misdiagnosed dental conditions is TMJ. Given that it is often a painful condition for the patient, this misdiagnosis often leads to unnecessary pain for the patients before the condition is identified and treated. One of the reasons for this misdiagnosis is that the condition often presents a variety of symptoms, most of which can be thought of as being caused by other problems. For example, pain in the jaw area and the face can often be diagnosed as sinus infections. Understanding the symptoms of this problem and how to treat it can help dental experts save many Americans from needless suffering.

In this article, we explore TMJ problems and how you can help your patients overcome the condition.

What Are TMJ Problems?

We are going to start by identifying what is the TM Joint. TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint or TMJ in short. This is the joint that connects the lower and the upper jaw. As you may guess, the joint is critical for any movement of the jaws when talking, eating, and so on. Due to a variety of reasons, some people develop infections on the TMJ or the joint slides out of place. When this happens, it leads to TMJ disorders. Some of the factors that lead to these problems include jaw injury, untreated infections in the jaw area, and so on. People with the habit of grinding their teeth together might also find themselves suffering from TMJ disorders.

Symptoms

One of the problems of diagnosing this condition is the fact that it presents varying symptoms. Experts believe that the symptoms presented are typically a factor of how serious the problem is. A common symptom of TMJ is pain and tenderness on the side of the face, which is where the TM joint is located. In severe conditions, the patient will have difficulty opening and closing their mouth. When there is jaw movement, patients may notice popping sounds around the area. In some cases, the mouth locks in place, meaning that the patient is unable to open or close their mouth.

If left untreated, TMJ will lead to damaged teeth, weak facial muscles that will cause the face to droop. If the TMJ condition is caused by an infection, then there is the risk that the infection will spread to other places. Worse of all, TMJ makes eating and talking difficult, thus affecting the quality of life of the patient.

Treatment

There was a time when going to a dentist was a scary thing. Due to some of the rudimentary tools used during those procedures, many of us grew up fearing a visit to the dentist. Dental instruments have come a long way since and almost all dental procedures are relatively painless. Even in cases where there is some inevitable discomfort, dentists are usually armed with the resources to numb the pain. While this is true, the fear of dentists still lingers in the minds of many people. This is why it is important for any dental practice to take steps to alleviate anxiety in the minds of the patients. Here are some things that you can do to alleviate this anxiety.

Talk to Your Patients

Experienced dentists know that simply talking to your patients is often enough to alleviate most of their fear about an upcoming procedure. This is the reason why dental clinics are encouraged to have friendly staff members who will not tire of answering patients’ questions even if they may not have much to do with the procedure at hand. While a patient is waiting for a procedure, it is ok to speak to them and make them as comfortable as possible.

Take Them Through the Procedure

They say knowledge is power and this truism certainly rings true when it comes to alleviating patient anxiety in a dental clinic. Most of the patient's fears are borne out of misinformation often from friends and relatives. As the attending dentist, take time to guide the patient through every step of the procedure in advance, and some of the dental instruments that are likely to be used. Let them know what is the objective of each step and how you will help them cope with any discomfort at each stage. Understanding why we are going through anything is often a great motivator for human beings and dental procedures are no exception. 

Clinical Environment

One of the easiest ways to put patients at ease is to ensure that you have a welcoming and comfortable environment in your clinic. While cleanliness is important, your dental clinic does not have to look cold and sterile. Paintings, flowers, and other everyday items can go a long way in easing the fears of your patients. This is especially important for children who are likely to take their minds off the fear of a procedure if they are engaged in other activities such as play. If your clinic handles a significant number of young patients, you may want to consider hiring support staff who are specially trained to handle children.

Give Patients Some Control

This plays on the fact that we are less likely to feel anxious if we have some control over a process. For example, if a procedure is to be done in several stages, you can allow a patient to choose when those stages will be done. This of course should be done within what is safe so that the well-being of the patient is always the priority. 

Another approach that has been known to work is to use referrals on your communication platforms such as websites. When patients read about other people who have undergone the procedure, they are less likely to be anxious.

When it comes to dental procedures, there are only a few procedures that require dental sutures. Generally speaking, if there are no complications or exposed bone/tissue materials, your dentist will probably allow the wound to heal without the use of any sutures. However, there are a number of dental procedures that require dental sutures. In this article, we examine when sutures come in handy and how they can help in faster healing.

Procedures that Need Sutures

There is a relationship between the need for sutures and the extend of the wound that needs to heal. For example, procedures such as dental implants require multiple operations in order to complete. Bone grafting must be done if there is jaw bone loss (generally, there tends to be), then the implant must be inserted before a crown is placed. All these procedures mean that there is a higher risk of tissue exposure if the wound is not effectively closed. This is why sutures are often used during implants. Another common area where sutures come in handy is wisdom tooth extraction, especially if the tooth has been impacted.

Types of Sutures

There are two main types of sutures namely absorbable and non-absorbable. As the name suggests, absorbable sutures eventually dissolve in the gum tissue and thus do not need to be removed by the dentist after the wound heals. That being said, it is common for dentists to still examine the area to see if there are any suture materials left as these may lead to infection. These sutures will vary in the time they take to dissolve, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. When it comes to non-absorbable sutures, these must be removed by the dentist after the wound heals. They are usually made of materials such as silk. The choice of which to use is usually up to the dentist and depends on a variety of factors such as the size and location of the wound.

Benefits of Sutures 

As mentioned earlier, sutures hasten the healing process of a dental wound. They help to close it up thus allowing the gum tissue to begin to close the wound naturally. Another important role they play is to prevent infection. The mouth is exposed to many possible contaminants and an open wound can easily introduce bacterial infection deep into gum and bone tissue. This can then lead to serious complications, some of which can even be fatal. Sutures prevent this by sealing the wound shut.

Care of Sutures

If you have had a dental surgical procedure and you have sutures, there are a number of things to be on the lookout for. The first is to watch out for any pain in the area, especially continuous pain. While some discomfort is normal immediately after a procedure, it should not go on for days on end. Another possible danger sign is pus oozing from the area. While you may not notice the pus inside your mouth, you are likely to feel pain and notice a foul taste in your mouth. That is a likely sign of infection and you should see your dentist immediately.

If you're familiar enough with sutures to know what they are, but don't know the finer points of them, you may be interested to know there's a difference between conventional suture material and barbed sutures. That is not the only difference between sutures, of course, but it is what we’re going to concentrate on here.