How to Cure Jaw Pain with TMJ Splint Therapy | Dr. Parsa Zadeh

Are you experiencing jaw pain and unsure of what to do? Watch this video to learn how you can cure jaw pain with TMJ Splint Therapy. Dr. Parsa Zadeh explains what a splint is and how it is the easiest and simplest treatment for TMJ disorder. Beyond this, you will learn the difference of a TMJ Splint vs night guard vs mouth guard and how wearing one of these will make your TMJ pain worse. Dr. Parsa Zadeh answers a series of questions like:
Can you use a mouth guard for TMJ Treatment?
What is a TMJ Splint vs night guard?
What is a Splint and does Splint Therapy work for TMJ?
What are the Types of TMJ Splints?
What happens when you wear a mouth guard at Night?
In this video, Dr. Parsa Zadeh answer your questions, “should I get a soft night guard or hard night guard?” the question of
“what is a mouth guard?” also gets answered in depth. A person will wear a mouth guard between their teeth so if they get hit, then the teeth don't hit against each other. It is a great protection for people in sports. A mouth guard must be soft as the function is to cushion trauma and impact of the lower teeth against the upper teeth. The mouth guard is worn during active hours during the day. So what happens when you wear a mouth guard at night? Or you what if you were to wear something that is soft like a mouth guard? Some dentists make a soft material for their patients and this is absolutely harmful for your TMJ Disorder.
If you get chewing gum between your teeth, your natural instinct is to chew it. If you get a piece of pebble between your teeth, then the natural reaction is to stop chewing. The physiological feedback from the teeth tell us to keep chewing when something is soft, and to stop chewing when something is hard. So giving you something soft to wear at night will give you something to chew on and you will exercise the muscles of mastication. Do you need to exercise the muscles of mastication? No, it is not useful at all as they do not need exercise and minimum usage is better.
So why do they make a mouth guard? Simply, for it to be used to be during the day. But if you have this for eight hours in the night then you will not prevent TMJ Disorder or relieve TMJ pain, it will just get worse. You must have a hard material for a nighttime appliance that goes between the teeth. Of the hard materials, the options are either a night guard or a splint, which has certain functions built into it. The most familiar splint is a posterior repositioning splint which will solve most patients TMJ problems such as clicking.
Thank you for watching our Understanding the TMJ RUclips Video Series! Look out for more videos from Dr. Parsa Zadeh and visit implantedu.org/ for more education on dental implants and everything revolving them!

[@keane6309]

3 years late to the party... however, thanks for this informative video.

[@chocloditelensman]

I got a hard bite splint to prevent teeth grinding / clenching at night. Since having it (last few months) it has cause me upper right jaw pain - they have adjusted it but it hasn’t helped. My older soft splint was wonderful and it didn’t cause me pain but my new one does.

[@mitalipastagia2994]

how long time to require to wear splint?

[@marilynbarker8255]

Good information!

[@bridgetbean79]

Thoughts on anterior positioning splint? I get mine tomorrow!

[@markkelly940]

Great video and advice. Thank you............

[@erinconnolly1819]

this is a very instructive explanation. Thank you, Doctor.

[@janebond8342]

Your theory sounds great Doc, but after ten months of excruciating pain from a locked closed jaw joint, it was a $4 sports soft upper tooth guard that brought me back to normality in only days to weeks. Relief when I'd been reading of the risk of suicide with this condition and I was understanding that all too well. No one had the right answer, they just threw out things to try. So I did my own "trial and error" and it worked for me. The alternative was $600-$800 just for just for the assessment alone with an oral surgeon for a TMJ splint. Who's got that kind of money? (I would have paid it if I had no alternative, but I found one, thankfully).

[@michellewood7183]

Would this be a GELB splint?