TMJ Treatment Phoenix, AZ.
Chronic jaw pain and headaches are exhausting. Many feel dismissed or are given generic night guards that don’t help. You want a dentist who understands TMJ and offers real solutions, not just guesswork. We listen, diagnose, and treat TMJ with expertise.
Technically known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD or TMJ) is a painful condition where the jaw hinge or joint doesn’t work properly. This joint handles every movement of your mouth, and the condition makes it painful or almost impossible to chew, talk, or generally move the jaw.
Jaw trauma, teeth grinding, bite misalignment, jaw clenching, and poor posture straining the neck and jaw muscles are common triggers of the condition. Over time, the condition only worsens; therefore, treating TMJ disorder as soon as possible is important.
TMJ Treatment Options We Offer in Phoenix
Dr. Joe Lyman - Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) - General Dentist
Dr. Lyman is an Arizona native who earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He went on to A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, earning a Certificate of Public Health with a dental emphasis and his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. He continues to pursue dental education across local and national programs to stay current with new treatments, techniques, and technology. After dental school, he completed an internship in Galveston, Texas, with exposure to oral and maxillofacial surgery before practicing general dentistry in Texas. More than half of his patients there were children, and he especially enjoyed working with them. Before college, he spent two years in Mississippi serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Dr. Lyman and his wife, a native of Arizona, eventually returned to Tucson with their four children after an opportunity to join a local dental practice came up. Outside dentistry, he enjoys spending time with his family while hiking, swimming, biking, visiting parks, exploring Tucson, and attending sporting and cultural events. Service is also an important part of his life. He has volunteered through Give Kids a Smile, AZ Mission of Mercy, Day for Special Smiles, and Latin World Ministries, serving both local and international communities. Dr. Lyman brings a genuine love of dentistry and helping people to his work and looks forward to caring for patients and their families.
Office Information
15433 N. Tatum Blvd., Ste. 200,
Phoenix, AZ 85032
Office Hours
Convenient hours for our valued patients
- Mon - Wed 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Thurs 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Fri 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Sat 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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Occlusal Splints and Night Guards
The night guard acts as a physical barrier to avoid grinding teeth enamel during sleep. While TMJ splints help reposition the lower jaw into a relaxed position.
Just like mouthguards, splints are custom-made and fabricated using digital scans of your bite, ensuring the device fits you perfectly. Consistent wear of a mouthguard relieves symptoms in a few weeks.
Physical Therapy and Jaw Exercises
There are several exercises to relax jaw muscles and improve movement for TMJ treatment using physical therapy. These exercises include tongue movement and placement, and breathing exercises.Â
Dr. Bobby will guide you about specific exercises tailored to your case. When these exercises are combined with massage and practiced consistently, one can achieve positive results.Â
At home, heat compresses, over-the-counter pain medicine, and muscle relaxants help relieve muscle tension, and ice-cold packs help relieve acute pain and swelling. Stress management through breathing exercises, yoga, or other relaxation techniques is important to relieve TMJ symptoms in the long term.
Surgical Treatment for TMJ
The last option to treat TMJ disorder is surgery. If all else fails and non-invasive methods are not helping, TMJ arthroscopy is done. Through this surgery, damage This surgery involves repairing damaged discs or inflamed tissues. It is less invasive than open joint surgery, so you will recover faster.
Surgical procedures like modified condylotomy and total joint replacement are reserved for the most severe structural cases. At Paradise Ridge, our goal is always to resolve your TMJ symptoms through the least invasive procedure available.
Corrective Dental Treatment for TMJ
When an uneven bite contributes to TMJ symptoms, corrective dental treatment is the right solution. After a detailed evaluation, our experienced dentist recommends braces, crowns, or bridges to bring back the balance to your bite and teeth. The treatment helps reduce unnecessary pressure on the jaw joint and offers long-term relief from TMJ symptoms.
Botox for TMJ and Jaw Clenching
Sometimes oral appliances or physical therapy alone is not enough to treat temporomandibular joint disorder. In such severe cases, Botox is a highly effective alternative that is injected directly into the overactive jaw muscles.
This reduces tension in these muscles so they don’t clench or grind with force, helping relieve pain, headaches, and other symptoms. Its results typically last between 3 and 6 months, and many patients combine it with a custom night guard for better TMJ management.
Signs and Symptoms of TMJ Disorder
The most common signs of TMJ disorder include:
- Teeth grinding
- Waking up with a sore jaw or mouth.
- Pain when eating, opening the mouth, or yawning.
- Neck pain and frequent headaches.
- Tooth sensitivity to pressure or temperature change.
- Popping or clicking sounds from the jaw as it moves.
- Sporadic misalignment of teeth or bite.
TMJ treatment focuses on jaw and skull harmony. It aims to restore movement of the jaw with muscle and bone. During this, dentists not only evaluate teeth and jaw movement but also the overall skull and bone to identify issues.
How Is TMJ Treatment Done? Exercises For TMJ Treatment
At the start of TMJ treatment, a detailed medical exam is done using jaw and skull x-rays, and the jawbone sound is assessed using a stethoscope. 3D imaging, digital scanning and CT scans are also done to drive concrete evidence and data points.
Relaxed jaw posture (lips together, tongue on the mouth roof and teeth apart) is the most common part of the healing process. During pain, an ice-cold pack helps relieve pain. Similarly, applying heat also provides relief. These help not only in pain but also in inflammation. Doctors recommend deep breathing exercises to reduce tension in muscles.
There are several exercises to relax jaw muscles and improve movement for TMJ treatment using physical therapy. These exercises include tongue movement and placement, and breathing exercises. These exercises are observed to reduce pain and improve the healing process. Combined with message and consistency, one can achieve positive results. Surgical treatment is a last resort.
Advanced Neuromuscular Dentistry For TMJ
Neuromuscular dentists find the position of your jaw where it is most relaxed. CCMD protocol defines the alignment of the neck and head with respect to the body. As per CCMD, if your shoulder and neck are crooked, your jaw is crooked too. This links TMJ to the whole body instead of just the mouth or jaw.
Diet For TMJ
You should strictly avoid hard, crunchy, or chewy foods. Soft foods and smoothies are perfect to minimize the amount of work. Soft foods include mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs, fish, shredded chicken or slow-cooked meats, boiled veggies and soft lentils, beans. Similarly, soups with small pieces of soft vegetables and meat are a great non-chewing food option. Bone broth is good for a rich nutrition and protein source.
Smoothies can include yogurt, milk, fats, fruits, protein powder, and honey, which is a great source of nutrient-rich carbs and proteins.
Foods to avoid include Caffeine, chewing gums, and candies. Hard foods that require biting and chewing, like raw vegetables (carrot, onion) and fruits (apple, pear), are not recommended. Instead, make juice/smoothies for nutrition. Similarly, chewy breads, meat (jerky,steak) and hard snacks (popcorn, nuts, chocolates, candies) are prohibited.
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Schedule an appointment easily by filling out the online form.
Our front desk staff will contact you soon to confirm your appointment.
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