FAQ

X-rays allow our dentists to get a clearer picture of what’s going on with your teeth and the surrounding areas of your mouth. This insight can be especially helpful in determining cases of TMJ and sleep apnea.

Since we use digital x-rays, the amount of radiation is minimal. The American Dental Association advises dentists to use the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) Principle. Following this principle, we take serious measures to limit the amount of radiation to a negligible amount through use of the safest possible equipment and strict safety protocols. With these measures we take, the risk of ignoring dental issues that require an x-ray is much more harmful than getting the x-ray itself.

We offer multiple payment options, including CareCredit and assistance in billing your medical insurance for reimbursement.

Yes, we ask that you please schedule an appointment ahead of time. While we can sometimes make last-minute appointments work, we don’t recommend that you count on them.

Your x-ray photos will be sent to your doctor within 2-3 days so they can review them and make their diagnosis and treatment plan accordingly.

X-rays are a part of your clinical records, and so they go directly to your doctor. If you would like a copy of your x-rays, you’ll need to arrange this with your doctor.

There won’t be pain during an x-ray. The most discomfort you’ll feel could be from stretching your mouth around the bitewing, but it shouldn’t hurt.

Since we have strict safety measures in place, we try to make sure that only the patient is in the imaging room. We may make an exception for a parent to be with a child who is afraid, but a child cannot come into the imaging room with the parent. We ask that you please bring another adult to accompany your child in the waiting room if you need to bring your child to the appointment.

The joint in front of each of your ears which allows your jaw to move is called the temporomandibular joint. When the structure of this joint becomes compromised, you can experience head and neck pain as a result.

• Headaches
• Pain in the ear, facial muscles, or jaw
• Throat pain
• Temple pain
• Pain when chewing or opening jaw
• Clicking or popping noises
• Locking of the jaw
• Arm, back, shoulder, or neck pain
  If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms, get in touch with us so we can help treat it.

There is a chance that your headaches are caused by TMJ, but there are also many other causes of headaches. We would have to examine you at our office to determine if TMJ is the cause.

There is no single cause that results in TMJ every time. It’s usually from stress on the jaw joint over time. This stress can include things like neck conditions, teeth clenching, and arthritis.

In many cases, no. Surgery is a last resort as there are other less invasive ways to effectively treat TMJ. The main goals of TMJ treatments are to reduce pain and pressure on the jaw joint. If these less invasive treatments are not effective, surgery will be the final course of action.

We use a combination of techniques that work together to soothe pain and address the source of it. First, we use Ultra Low Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation (ULF-TENS). The name may sound intimidating, but the process is simply a gentle massage that relaxes irritated jaw and facial muscles. Plus, it stimulates your body’s product of endorphins which are a natural painkiller. Then, we treat the source of the pain. We do this by stabilizing your bite, as the unaligned bite pattern is what stresses your jaw joint and causes the pain. TMJ is an ongoing condition, so once we’ve treated it we will discuss with you the best ways to manage it going forward with strategies to keep it from worsening again.