What You Should Know About LASER Treatment For TMJ

By Harold Walker


TMJ diseases can be so painful and disturbing, and more devastatingly, can be idiopathic. The primary distress associated with it even at its mildest form is difficulties with chewing and speech. LASER treatment for TMJ is one of the most suitable therapies, being more advantageous as it is pain-free with much less side effects and does not require a high demanding procedure, unlike surgery.

TMJ is a short way of saying Temporo-Mandibular joint. You can find it beside the cheeks and anterior to the ears. The articulating surfaces are the head of the mandible (also known as jaw bone) and the inferior aspect of the temporal bone at the floor of the skull. Movement on the joint is what makes chewing and talking possible. These actions are supported by the muscles located around the joint.

The diseases of this joint have to do with the muscles associated, the blood and nerve supply and the tissues of the joint itself. One major cause of a temporomandibular joint disease is infection by microorganisms. Because of its rich nerve supply, pain can be referred to other cranial and facial structures which are secondary symptoms. For example, headaches, pain in the ear, bruxism, and so on can arise.

After microorganisms have successfully invaded the body cells, the immune levels will reduce and this will lead to acute or chronic inflammation. If it is chronic, the attack on the body will be more grievous and it may take time for it to recover. Inflammation can lead to the occurrence of rashes, redness, and swellings on the body. There is also going to be much pain.

To reduce the symptoms so that patients can feel more at ease, a prompt medical attention must be given. The main aim of any medical intervention is to eliminate the cause of the disease but it becomes a problem when nobody or a test can say emphatically what is responsible for one that is being experienced. Notwithstanding, LASER procedures have made treating idiopathic conditions more successfully.

The full meaning of LASER is Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It applies coherent photons unto the area of interest. The radiation that comes from this is absorbed by tissues. This causes some physiological reactions that propel changes for the joint to get well.

It is said to boost the body's own physiological response and improves its own healing mechanism. The thought of radiation can be frightening to some patients because so many of them have been said to cause cancer. Unlike ionizing radiation such as Xray, this remedy is not deleterious to the body cells and chromosomes and better still, it has no carcinogenic nature. Going by the opinion that LASER causes cancer is misleading. Instead, it is vital in treating cancerous lesion so it is actually a cure for cancer rather than being a cause of it.

There are more advantages of this treatment compared to surgery. One of the strong reasons to accept it is that it does not cause pain. Hence, there is no need for anesthesia when using it. After a surgery, the patient still has to make out time to visit the hospital frequently but this is not the case with this procedure. Since there are no stitches involved, the patient also looks better after the treatment.




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