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Archives for October 2022

Can Diabetes Cause TMJ Disorder?

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I’d been having jaw pain for a while and went to see my dentist. He felt it was TMJ and we were working on solutions. First, he gave me a nightguard. That didn’t stop the pain. Next, he adjusted my bite, shaving some teeth and building up others. That cost me quite a bit of money. Again, no change in the pain. He told me to give it time. I gave it a couple of months and still no change in the pain so I went back. Now he saying that my TMJ Disorder is a result of my diabetes and there is nothing that can be done about it. The best I can do is take ibuprofen to manage the pain. Here are my questions. First, can diabetes even cause this problem? Second, if he knew that, why did he cost me all that money with treatments that he knew would not work?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

Woman holding her jaw from TMJ pain

This sounds very frustrating. Before we get into this in more detail, you should know that ibuprofen is a contraindication for diabetes. While most people can take them, NSAIDs are not a good idea for people in your situation. I don’t want you getting into danger with your health.

Let’s answer your first question first. Is it possible for diabetes to cause this problem? Technically, yes, though it is rare. While about 20% of diabetics develop general neuropathy, only .05% will develop craniofacial neuropathy.

As for the treatments he did thus far, he did start with the least invasive treatment. That was good. However, even if your cause is the diabetes, saying there is nothing more he can do is really dropping the ball. What you need is someone with real TMJ training. Someone not in over his head, which is what I suspect your current dentist is. There are quite a few options left in getting you some relief.

Find a dentist with extensive post-doctoral TMJ training and let him examine you and give you the options. You will be able to get out of pain.

This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.

Is a CT Scan Truly Necessary for All-on-4 Dental Implants

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I am considering getting dental implants, specifically the all-on-4 dental implants. I’ve done a ton of x-rays and such and now the dentist wants me to get a CT scan. Is this really necessary or is this more of a way for him to line his pockets? I don’t want to spend unnecessary money and I certainly don’t want more radiation than is necessary.

Billy

Dear Billy,

all-on-4 dental implants

I’m glad you wrote. It is great that you chose dental implants as your tooth replacements. They are top of the line and the closest thing to having healthy, natural teeth in your mouth. Generally, all-on-4 is used for people who are already dealing with some bone loss. If that ends up not being you, it may be in your best interest to get implant overdentures. With all-on-4, if one implant fails, the entire thing has to be redone. However, that is not the case with an implant overdenture. Now to your question.

Importance of a CT Scan

Diagnostics on Your Bone Capacity

In order for dental implants to stay in place, the surrounding bone needs to integrate with the implant in a process known as osseointegration. However, if you don’t have enough bone then, you need to look at your options.

Finding the Best Procedure

In some cases, there isn’t too much bone loss and you can still get the all-on-4 procedure. However, in some cases, there is enough bone gone that you would need to do a procedure to replace it known as bone grafting. This will enable you to get overdentures if you are interested or you could stick with the all-on-4.

Getting the Correct Landscape

Getting dental implants of any type is a 3dimensional procedure. X-rays alone will not give the dentist enough information. They need 3D images of your mouth and jaws, including close to the nasal cavity. This will give them adequate measurements for safe placement of your implants. Dentists who take short cuts will often end up misplacing the implants or puncturing the nasal cavity.

So, in your place, I would definitely get the CT scan.
This blog is brought to you by Duluth, GA Dentist Dr. David Marion.