When you book an appointment with us for a TMJ assessment, we will send you a comprehensive questionnaire by email for you to fill out prior to your appointment.
The diagnostic procedure begins with documenting your medical history which will include all past medical and dental problems and the associated treatments. A history of your trauma will also be attained, especially those relating to your head or neck. Questions will also be asked about you symptoms, especially any problems with pain or your jaw. This will include details about the nature and duration of these symptoms.
For a TMJ problem a physical examination will likely include:
- Postural exam to discover any musculoskeletal problems that either contribute to or are the result of TMJ problems. This includes scoliosis, lower back pain and short leg syndrome, among others.
- Functional examinations to evaluate swallowing, breathing and chewing among others.
- Sleep disorders screening to evaluate if sleep apnea is present and further diagnosis is required.
- Dental examination to evaluate the shape of the dental arches, tooth wear or fractures, missing teeth, existing dental restorations or other clues.
- Neurologic examination to evaluate for nerve damage that may be related to your symptoms.
- TMJ examination to look at the ranges of motion, gait, speed and smoothness of jaw movement. Additionally, the TM joints will be checked for internal derangement, joint inflammation, pain and the presence of joint sounds.
- Joint Vibrational Analysis, a non-invasive technology that records the vibrations made by joint tissues during movement. The patterns and electronic signature of the patient’s joints are compared with known standards for healthy joints.
Based on the findings, further testing might be required; which might include imaging or other tests.
Imaging:
Depending on the nature and severity of the problem, the dentist might order specific imaging for the evaluation of hard or soft tissues. Our office uses the state of the art imaging modality: CBCT.
CBCT stands for Conebeam Computed Tomography; in layman’s terms, a CBCT is a compact, faster and safer version of a medical grade CT. Through the use of a cone shaped X-Ray beam, the sized of the scanner, radiation dosage and the time needed for scanning are dramatically reduced. The time needed for a full scan is typically under 20 seconds and the radiation dosage is up to a hundred times less than that of a regular medical CT scanner. There are many applications for using the CBCT in dentistry. CBCT will show excellent images of hard tissues (bone and teeth) however it will not show soft-tissues like cartilage, ligaments and muscles.
If soft-tissue imaging is indicated, we will prepare an MRI requisition and you will be referred to an imaging center.
Our Services:
Call us at 905-470-0009 for an appointment
Our Address Is:
675 Cochrane Drive
Suite 105, East Tower
Markham ON L3R 0B8
Cities we service and get patients from includes:
Toronto, Markham, North York, Vaughan, Woodbridge, Thornhill, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Ajax, Pickering, Etobicoke, Mississauga