Permanent Orthodontic Treatments for TMJ

Permanent orthodontic treatments for TMJ have common goals. The technical terms for what they aim to achieve are a good bite, facial balance, and correct oral posture (i.e. tongue posture). This produces maximum relaxation and correct anatomical relationships between the muscles and structures of your jaw, cranium, and neck.  Achieving this type of ideal anatomy for your genetics (a.k.a. facial balance) in your jaw allows for healing from TMJ muscle disorder and TMJ joint disorder.

In layman’s terms, the goals are often as follows, but they may go beyond this as well:

• Enlarge the jaw by moving the teeth such that the jaw is ideally sized for your tongue.
• Posture the lower jaw forward to its ideal position of relaxation.  * See Note.
• Reshaping or rebuilding your teeth to achieve a correct bite

Note: Your jaw is the only double-hinged joint in the body — i.e. not only can it open and close, but it can be postured forward and back.  It is quite common for it to be postured too far back. Very rarely is the lower jaw postured too far forward.

The following table describes common orthodontic techniques for achieving facial balance in order to help adults with TMJ. Just as with any major medical procedure, I cannot over emphasize the importance of getting multiple opinions before proceeding with an orthodontia procedure.  This is not medical advice or a recommendation of treatment. It is merely intended to inform you of what options are out there.