A comprehensive Jaw Exam in Stamford will not only look at the jawbone but also your teeth. While your teeth and gums are checked every time you have a visit, the comprehensive jawbone examination goes that extra mile to ensure that your whole mouth is healthy.
Comprehensive Exams in Stamford
When you come in for a routine cleaning, your teeth and gums will be checked for decay and you may have X-rays taken to determine any problems that may need to be addressed in a comprehensive exam.
At a comprehensive examination however, the dental staff will check your:
- Gums and supporting bones
- Teeth
- Examine soft tissues of mouth, throat, and surrounding structures to screen for head and neck cancer
- Bite analysis
- X-rays and various scans
- Quantity and quality of saliva
- The appearance of teeth and gums related to the face
- And your Jawbone.
Jaw Exams in Stamford
Your Jaw will be examined during the comprehensive examination. Your lower jawbone is the strongest bone in your skull. While it doesn’t exert the force of other mammals it exerts quite a bit of force. Your upper jawbone helps to form your nose, palate, and the sockets of your eyes. So making sure that your jawbone is working properly doesn’t just matter when you’re biting into an apple.
Your teeth are always important, but your tongue, your lips, and a variety of other muscles are also supported by your jawbone. When it isn’t functioning properly, you can have problems with speaking, making facial expressions, sleeping, and even breathing.
Problems that can affect the Jaw
Your jaw is susceptible to infection, malignancy, trauma, inflammation, genetic diseases, and disorders, and common problems are myofascial pain syndrome, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), and bruxism (teeth grinding).
You may experience a variety of symptoms that lead you to the office to have a comprehensive exam.
- Chewing difficulty or discomfort
- Difficulty opening and closing mouth (locking of the joint)
- Earache
- Facial pain
- Headache
- Jaw pain or tenderness
- Uneven bite
- Chronic facial pain
- Earache
- Enlarged jaw muscles
- Headache
- Increased tooth sensitivity
- Indentations on the tongue
- Jaw pain or tightness in the jaw muscle are a few symptoms that may indicate an issue.
More severe symptoms, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, painful chewing, locked jaw, numbness or a tingling sensation, severe bleeding, or stiffness and spasms need to be addressed immediately.
Treatment of Jaw Conditions in Stamford
Depending on the cause, most conditions of the jaw can be readily treated with
- Antibiotics
- Muscle-relaxing medications
- Orthodontic work
- Pain-control medications
- Surgery to remove tumors, drain abscesses, or repair defects
- Use of night guards, splints, or other protective devices.
Our Dental staff knows what to look for to make sure that your jawbone keeps all of your muscles happy and smiling. Make sure to call us at (203) 324-7777 to set up a comprehensive exam.