What is TMJ?

TMJ (also called TMD) stands for temporomandibular joint disorder. The temporomandibular joint is the hinging joint that connects your jaw to your skull. This important joint allows you to talk, laugh, eat, and, essentially, live your life. According to the National Institutes of Health, TMJ disorders are the most common form of non-odontogenic orofacial pain, affecting millions of people who often go years without an accurate diagnosis. When this joint is out of place, you can’t perform your activities of daily living. Instead of enjoying your meals, the pain associated with TMJ can make you avoid eating your favorite foods.

During TMJ, your jaw joints disconnect, lock, or unhinge. Though we can’t always trace how it occurs, we do know how to treat it when it does. If you experience constant pain or discomfort in your head or jaw, you might be showing signs of TMJ. Instead of ignoring your pain, it’s time to seek professional treatment options. When you visit us at Marlen Elite Dental Wellness, you can speak with a TMJ specialist about your symptoms. During your first consultation, we’ll determine if you experience TMJ or if your headaches stem from something else. If you have TMD, we want to help you treat your pain and discomfort with our River Edge TMJ treatment. At Marlen Elite Dental Wellness, our approach goes well beyond symptom management. Using advanced diagnostic technology and a physiological, neuromuscular dentistry framework, we identify and address the root causes of your disorder.

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Neuromuscular Dentistry for Bergen County TMJ Patients

Your jaw is a complex system that must work together in harmony for proper function. When it doesn’t work together smoothly, it usually results in temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). Neuromuscular dentistry is a physiological approach to dental care, taught at institutions like the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, that evaluates how the muscles, joints, and nerves of your jaw system interact to identify the specific dysfunctions driving your pain.

With a neuromuscular approach to TMJ treatment, we aim to prevent and correct problems that interfere with your jaw’s harmony. We also use this approach when placing restorations or any type of reconstructive dentistry to ensure the jaw system always works correctly without causing TMJ problems. Dr. Martirossian completed his training in neuromuscular dentistry and physiological aesthetics at the Las Vegas Institute, an international center for advanced dental studies, which equips our practice to treat TMJ disorders that have failed to respond to conventional approaches elsewhere.

Causes of TMJ

It is often difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of an individual’s TMJ disorder. Genetics, arthritis, stress and injuries often play a role. People who clench or grind their teeth (bruxism) may be at elevated risk.

Jaw, facial and neck muscle strain or overuse often contribute to development of this disorder as well. The temporomandibular joint allows your jaw to move with a “hinging” motion and a “sliding” motion. A small shock-absorbing disk normally keeps these movements smooth. Painful TMJ disorders can result if the disk erodes or becomes misaligned. Additionally, certain connective tissue diseases may trigger TMJ.

When to See a Doctor

In most cases, the pain and discomfort associated with TMJ is temporary and can be self-managed. But you should seek medical attention from a doctor or dentist if you can’t open or close your jaw completely.

Additionally, you should see a doctor if your pain:

Is severe
Interferes with eating or speaking
Wakes you up at night
Persists for more than a week despite home treatment
Is accompanied by dizziness, earache, headache, neck pain, or shoulder pain
Appears to be getting worse

Diagnosis

During your evaluation, your doctor will likely ask about your symptoms and medical history. They will also want to know about any past injuries or surgeries to your head, neck, or jaw. Additionally, your doctor may ask about your stress levels and whether you have any bruxism habits (teeth grinding or clenching).

Next, your doctor will perform a physical examination of your head, neck, and jaw. They may also palpate (feel) around your TMJ to check for any tenderness or clicking.

Your doctor or dentist will conduct an exam, review your health history and check the condition of your bite and facial muscles. Diagnoses are often confirmed with X-rays, MRI examination or a CT scan. Seeking proper dental care for missing teeth or damaged restorations is often a critical first step, and at Marlen Elite Dental Wellness, our diagnostic process includes T-Scan digital bite analysis to measure the precise force and timing of each tooth contact, giving us objective data that traditional examination alone cannot provide.

TMJ Treatment Costs

Costs will depend on the extent of your treatment. Discuss costs during your initial consultation, and ask about any available payment options.

TMJ treatment costs are going to look different for each person. For example, one patient may have excessive worn-down teeth and a misaligned bite that is going to need bite correction with other treatments. This will be a different cost than someone who only needs to use an appliance at night. Another patient may need basic TMJ treatment. Also, if a patient has sleep apnea, they may need a CPAP alternative.

TMJ symptoms

The most recognizable symptom of TMJ is jaw pain. However, other symptoms are common and present themselves in multiple ways. Another common symptom is a tension headache due to jaw tightness.

There are many different symptoms that could potentially signal a need for a TMJ test. Some common ones include:

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to see a TMJ specialist for a proper diagnosis. TMJ disorders are often caused by stress or other factors that can be treated fairly easily. However, if left untreated, they can lead to more serious problems down the road. For patients in Bergen County, getting an accurate diagnosis from a neuromuscular specialist, rather than a general practitioner, is often what makes the difference between temporary relief and long-term resolution.

What Issues Can Undiagnosed TMJ Cause?

If you think you may have a TMJ disorder, it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible. If left untreated, TMJ disorders can lead to a number of serious problems, including:

In some cases, untreated TMJ disorders can even cause permanent damage to the teeth or jaw. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, seeing a TMJ specialist in Bergen County who uses advanced diagnostic tools, rather than relying on visual examination alone, significantly improves the likelihood of finding a treatment that actually resolves your pain.

Additional Reading

Oftentimes, patients don’t realize that they have worn down teeth because it happens over time. However, when our patients have TMJ, they often grind their teeth. When you grind your teeth, you are slowly wearing down your teeth, night after night. In other words, your bite becomes less durable. Also, grinding your teeth makes you more susceptible to cavities and dental decay.

Many TMJ patients report clicking, popping or grating sounds coming from their jaws. TMJ can make it difficult to open your mouth wide, and in some cases produce facial swelling. Additional symptoms can include dizziness, earaches, ringing in the ears (known as tinnitus) and, in a few cases, numbness in your fingers or arms.

Specialized TMJ Treatment at Marlen Elite Dental Wellness Relieves Your Pain

The TMJ treatment process at Marlen Elite Dental Wellness begins before any therapy is applied. Using T-Scan digital bite analysis, our practice measures the exact force and timing of every tooth contact in your bite. Unlike traditional articulating paper, which only shows where contact occurs, T-Scan generates a real-time, color-coded map of how bite force is distributed across your jaw system. This data reveals imbalances that are invisible to the naked eye and often responsible for years of unresolved pain. T-Scan is also used after treatment to confirm your bite has been corrected and your jaw is functioning in balanced harmony.

Once we have a clear picture of your bite, TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is applied to relax your jaw muscles using gentle electrical currents. This releases muscle tension and allows your jaw to settle into its natural resting position. From that relaxed baseline, electromyography (EMG) measures the electrical activity in your muscles to confirm where dysfunction exists. With this data in hand, treatment can begin with a clean slate, whether that means a custom oral appliance, bite correction, restorative work, or a combination of approaches tailored to your specific needs. From that point, appointments are scheduled one at a time, ensuring every stage of your care receives our full, undivided attention.

What many patients do not expect is that resolving TMJ disorder can also restore their facial appearance. When the jaw is misaligned and teeth are worn down over time, the vertical dimension of the face collapses, contributing to deeper wrinkles around the mouth, sagging along the jawline, and an aged appearance in the lower third of the face. By restoring proper jaw position and bite height through comprehensive TMJ care, many patients experience a natural lifting and reshaping of facial tissues without surgery or downtime. At Marlen Elite Dental Wellness, this is part of our non-surgical facial rejuvenation approach, which uses R.E.newSmile facelift dentistry to rebuild tooth length, support facial proportions, and deliver results that patients describe as taking years off their appearance. TMJ can often be a chronic, systemic disorder involving your nerves, muscles, and other soft tissues that takes years to develop and tends to worsen with age. Through advanced training in physiological dentistry at the Las Vegas Institute, our practice uses effective, reliable, and predictable techniques that can deliver long-term relief, even when other medical or dental treatments have failed.

Patient Testimonial

Your TMJ Specialist Serving Bergen County, NJ

For patients in Bergen County seeking a TMJ specialist who offers more than a standard consultation, Marlen Elite Dental Wellness provides a genuinely different level of care. Dr. Marlen Martirossian earned his Doctor of Dental Science from New York University and completed his residency at Lutheran Medical Center before pursuing advanced training at the Las Vegas Institute, where he studied physiological and neuromuscular dentistry. He is an active member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain, and the International Association of Physiologic Aesthetics. The Consumers’ Research Council of America has consistently recognized him as one of the country’s top dentists.

Appointments at Marlen Elite Dental Wellness are scheduled one at a time, so every patient receives our full, undivided attention from consultation through treatment. If jaw pain, headaches, neck tension, or related symptoms are affecting your quality of life, schedule your consultation with our team today.

Tmj Treatmentin River Edge, New Jersey

What is TMJ?

Cosmetic and Family Dentistry Financing Available

Neuromuscular Dentistry for Bergen County TMJ Patients

Causes of TMJ

When to See a Doctor

Diagnosis

TMJ Treatment Costs

TMJ symptoms

What Issues Can Undiagnosed TMJ Cause?

Additional Reading

Specialized TMJ Treatment at Marlen Elite Dental Wellness Relieves Your Pain

Patient Testimonial

Your TMJ Specialist Serving Bergen County, NJ

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