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How to Treat TMD Fast Without Surgery or Needles

    • Introduction

      Jaw pain, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, headaches, clicking or locking jaws. These are the common symptoms of patients who suffer from Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD). As dentists, you want to help patients quickly so that they can enjoy eating and speaking without pain. Laser therapy is shown to be effective at reducing pain and inflammation effectively and within a few treatment sessions. In this article, we’ll discuss what TMD is, how laser therapy can help treat TMJ disorders, and which therapeutic laser is the best one for dentists.

      What is TMD, and Why Does it Matter?

      TMD stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, which is a condition that affects the jaw joint and muscles that control jaw movement. It can cause pain, inflammation, and restricted movement in the jaw joint, leading to difficulty with eating, speaking, and other daily activities. TMD can have various causes, such as trauma, stress, arthritis, or sleep apnoea.

      • Understanding TMJ disorders and how they work helps dentists to identify the cause and understand how they impact their everyday life. If patients suffer from pain every single day, it makes life unbearable. Everyone needs their jaws to eat and speak. Finding the right treatment that gets them out of pain fast is crucial to help them return to a normal life.

    • What is Laser Therapy, and Why is it the Ideal Treatment?

      Photobiomodulation (PBMT), is a non-invasive treatment that uses LED or NIR light to stimulate cellular activity and promote healing.  In particular laser therapy has been used for many years to treat various conditions, including musculoskeletal disorders, chronic pain, and wound healing.  Laser therapy is effective because it can penetrate deeply into the tissues and cells, promoting cellular activity and accelerating the healing process.

       

      This makes laser therapy the ideal treatment for TMD since it targets pain and inflammation in the jaw joint and surrounding muscles at a cellular level.  Also, because it’s non-invasive, patients will more readily accept laser therapy compared to more invasive treatments currently offered, such as Botox injections and jaw replacement surgery.

    • How Laser Therapy Can Help Relieve TMD Issues

      Reduces Pain and Inflammation

      Laser therapy can help relieve TMD issues by reducing pain and inflammation in the affected areas. The laser light penetrates deep into the tissues and cells, increasing cellular activity and promoting healing. This, in turn, relieves patients of pain and discomfort and helps the TMJ to recover quickly. To learn how laser therapy benefits those who have chronic or acute TMD, read this research article.

      This is important because dentists can target the source of the pain in the cells and tissues. It also reduces the number of treatment sessions required since the issue is being effectively targeted at a cellular level. This saves you and the patient time and helps bring relief from pain so that patients can enjoy a normal quality of life.

      Increases Jaw Joint’s Range of Motion

      Laser therapy can also help to increase the range of motion in the jaw joint, which is often restricted in patients with TMD. It does this by reducing the pain and inflammation in the muscles of mastication as well as accelerating tissue healing. This can help patients to open their mouths wider and move their jaws more freely. Read this scientific study to learn more.

      Using laser therapy as a treatment option for patients suffering from TMJ issues can improve their quality of life and make it easier for them to eat, speak, and perform other daily activities. It can also help dentists perform dental procedures more easily since patients will be able to open their mouths wider and hold their mouth open for longer periods of time. Overall, it results in long-term benefits for the patient.

      • Laser therapy being used to treat a patient with TMD or TMD issues. It reduces pain and inflammation in the jaw and surrounding tissues as well as increases the range of motion in the jaw joint.

    • Why MLS® Laser Therapy is the Best Therapeutic Laser for Dentists

      While there are many types of therapeutic lasers available, MLS® laser therapy is the best option for dentists treating TMD. MLS® laser therapy uses two different light wavelengths to significantly reduce pain, inflammation, and oedema within a few treatment sessions. This results in a more profound, faster, and longer-lasting effect on the tissues and cells, which is ideal for treating TMD issues.

      It’s non-invasive and has no known side effects, making it a safe and effective treatment option for patients. And because only 5-10 treatment sessions are required, patients can get back to a normal life quicker and dentists can treat more patients with TMD issues.

      • Dr Wei Ling McMillan at Your Smile Dental in Palmerston, Northern Territory, has benefitted from using the MLS® laser to treat TMD issues. She says, “I use it regularly and it has been welcomed by patients who have experienced pain relief and greater healing in many situations [including] muscle tension relief. I highly recommend the MLS Laser for every dental practitioner”.

    • TMD can be a challenging condition to treat, but laser therapy can help to relieve pain and inflammation associated with the disorder. It does this by reducing the pain and inflammation around the TMJ and by increasing the range of motion in the jaw joint. This enables patients to eat and speak again without undergoing invasive procedures such as jaw replacement surgery or Botox injections.

      MLS® laser therapy is the best therapeutic laser for dentists treating TMJ issues, as it provides a comprehensive treatment with faster and longer-lasting results. Dentists should consider adding MLS® laser therapy to their treatment options to provide their patients with effective, non-invasive, and safe TMD relief.