If your jaw clicks, pops, locks, or aches — or you wake up with headaches and sore facial muscles — you may be dealing with a TMJ disorder. The temporomandibular joint works harder than almost any joint in your body, and when it's inflamed or your bite is stressing it, the pain radiates: jaw, ears, temples, neck.
The good news: most TMJ problems respond well to conservative treatment. No surgery, no drama.
We start by examining your joint, your muscles, your bite, and the wear patterns on your teeth — your teeth tell us a lot about what your jaw does at night. Treatment usually starts with a custom night guard that takes the load off the joint and stops grinding damage, along with practical guidance on habits that feed the problem.
Most patients feel meaningful relief within a few weeks of consistent night guard use.
Yes, and it's not close. Boil-and-bite guards are bulky, fit loosely, and can actually make clenching worse. A custom guard is molded to your teeth and calibrated to your bite.
Mild flare-ups sometimes do. But clicking, locking, or pain that persists for more than a couple of weeks tends to worsen without treatment — and grinding damage to your teeth is permanent. Earlier is easier.