Misalignment of the TMJ has been known to cause a great deal of pain, as well as wearing down the teeth, often causing cracked, loose or sensitive teeth, a sore jaw, and often accompanied by a clicking or popping sound. Los Angeles dentist, Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, Beverly Hills TMJ specialist has led numerous patients to relief of this common problem.

Located in the mouth are two of the most complicated joints in the human body: the temporomandibular joints (TMJ). They are located in the triangular area just in the front of your ear. You can feel the motion of these joints when you open and close your mouth with your finger on this area. These joints allow not only the mouth to open, but also for the mandible (lower jaw) to move forward, back, and side to side. Complementing the joints are many muscles, ligaments, discs and bones, supporting these motions. As time and use can cause wear and tear on these body parts, a person can sometimes get pain in or near his or her jaw.

This pain is called TMJ Disorder or TMD. Dentists are fully trained to analyze pain in and around the mouth, and they can determine if that pain is from a cavity, an oral infection, or TMD. TMD can be caused by a large number of situations. It can be arthritis, an impact injury to the jaw, one's bite (alignment of teeth), night-time tooth grinding, or even stress. Though it can sometimes initially be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of TMD, there are a number specific treatments for TMJ problems that can make a huge improvement.

Part of Dr. Maddahi's thorough dental evaluation is to always include a careful examination of each patient for TMJ misalignment symptoms, using a state-of-the-art digital bite recorder, always paving the road to the best possible treatment based on this advanced dental technology.

Treatment often consists of the wearing of a handcrafted orthotic (from the Greek term ?ortho? meaning to straighten) for a period of time, which will help to realign the jaw in order to prevent further damage to the teeth. This has been found to be especially helpful if the teeth have become worn due to grinding them while sleeping.

Some cases will necessitate a temporary use of pain reducing medicine to treat the condition. TMJ treatments can also include massage in the area of the jaw pain to help loosen up the muscles, in addition to a handling of poor posture ? which can lead to misalignment of the neck and back, and is by extension connected to the jaw muscles.

If the dentist determines the pain is a result of poor bite/tooth alignment, braces may be used; tooth reshaping is another popular option. Depending on the patient's particular situation, the dentist may recommend one or more of a variety of workable solutions.

Kourosh Maddahi, DDS, Los Angeles dentist, will work carefully and thoroughly with you to find the cause of your TMJ, and the correct route to resolve your situation. In his twenty-plus years of practice he has solved many TMJ problems for his patients.

His Los Angeles area dentist office is located at 436 N. Roxbury Drive, Suite 202 in Beverly Hills and can be reached at 310-888-7797.