Does Invisalign affect TMJ? Can Invisalign cure TMJ?

I think I have TMJ but I'm not sure... before I consider metal braces or Invisalign I need to know if these procedures will irritate my jaw or cause further damage.





I have actually researched TMJ a little and I think I have it based on the symptoms.





P.S Thanx a lot guys for answering!

Does Invisalign affect TMJ? Can Invisalign cure TMJ?
No, Invasalign may alieviate the symptoms simply based on the insertion of an appliance that is changing the position of the condyle in the fossa. But unless it is carefull thought out it would be purely by chance.
Reply:as far as i know the only "cure"for tmj is surgery but i've had it for a couple of years now and you can either have your dentist to make you a mouth piece to wear at night..kind of like the mouth piece football players wear...or go to wal mart and they have one back in the pharmacy that you make yourself...i think it is called dr's night guard...get it and wear it every night and you will be amazed at how much better you will sleep and feel...it will take you a little while to get used to wearing something in your mouth at night but it want take long...good luck
Reply:find out what is causing your jaw to be out of alignment. you dont want a serious case of tmj. it is scary and very painful. for me it was a baby tooth that never came out because of a molar. i had the baby tooth pulled and my tmj went away. it was actually pretty cool to say i lost my last baby tooth at 40..lol
Reply:There are many causes of TMJ (also called TMD...temporal mandibular dysfunction as TMJ stands for temporal mandibular joint...which we all have). You need to be evaluated as to the cause of your TMD. If it is caused by grinding of the teeth at night, otherwise knows as "bruxism," a mouth guard would certainly be the answer. It may also be caused by faulty posture, muscular imbalance, or abnormal mechancis of the joint (either overly lax or overly tight ligaments). I'm sure there are other orthodontic conditions that could cause it as well.





If your TMD is caused by burxism, speak to your orthodontist as the first phase of invisaligns requires you to wear them 24 hours. I know because I had them! This may not work well with your mouth guard. If your TMD is caused by one of the other reasons, such as muscular imbalance or posture, then invisaligns should not affect your TMD.





Find out the cause first!
Reply:Anything that alters the position of the teeth and the way that the teeth come together, including both Invisalign and conventional braces, can affect your TMJ. If treatment is done without regard to proper occlusion (which sounds moronic, but it happens when esthetics is the major concern), it can lead to TMJ problems. If you have a bite problem that is causing TMJ problems and the dentist takes this into consideration, you may be able to get some improvement of the situation. In my experience, virtually ALL patients need some amount of "bite adjustment" by the dentist (me) to be sure that their final result does not cause TMJ problems. Orthodontia generally is concerned with relatively gross degrees of movement and there is little control over the amazingly infinitesimal changes in cusp angulation that can lead to TMJ problems. "Care, skill and judgement" are required to really fine tune the final result.
Reply:Has someone already diagnosed you as needing braces? Your comment about TMJ reminds me of undergrad studies in Psych where you start to think you have all these bizarre problems after you read about them. The fact is, most TMJ patients are female and middle-aged. There are numerous studies which refer to TMJ as more of a Psych issue than a Dental issue. What things in your life as stressors are causing you to grind or clench your teeth? If you can get to the real cause of the problem(s), and deal with them and get closure, you will probably find that the so-called TMJ will go away. Hope this helps.