Specialist Dental Treatments in Hythe.

They are closely related. TMJ is the jaw joint itself, the hinge just in front of your ear that lets you open and close your mouth. TMD, short for temporomandibular disorder, is the name for problems with that joint and the muscles around it, such as clicking, aching, stiffness or trouble opening wide. Most people use the two terms to mean the same thing: jaw pain and jaw trouble.

A dentist is a sensible first stop, because jaw pain is very often linked to grinding, clenching or how your teeth meet. There is a lot we can do to ease it, and we will explain what we find. If we think the cause sits outside dentistry, we will tell you honestly and point you to your GP or the right specialist rather than keep treating it here.

Grinding, or bruxism, is very common and many people do not know they do it until a partner mentions it or their teeth start to wear. The usual first step is a custom-made night guard, a slim plastic guard worn over your teeth while you sleep that protects them and eases the strain on your jaw. We will also talk through anything that might be making it worse.

It is made to fit your teeth exactly, which a shop-bought one is not. We take a mould or a digital scan of your teeth, a dental lab makes the guard to match, and we check the fit when it is ready. A guard made for your mouth is more comfortable, lasts longer and does its job properly.

It means rebuilding most or all of your teeth as one planned course of treatment, rather than fixing one tooth at a time. It is for people with a lot of wear, damage, old dental work or missing teeth, where sorting everything together gives a better and longer-lasting result. We plan the whole thing first and set out the stages, timescale and cost before any work starts.

It is a way of planning a new smile using photos of your face and teeth and some computer software. It lets us design how your teeth could look and, importantly, lets you see the result before you commit to any treatment. It is a planning tool, not a treatment on its own, so it sits at the start of bigger cosmetic or rebuilding work.

We can look at a custom mouth appliance that holds your lower jaw slightly forward while you sleep, which helps reduce snoring for some people. It is worth being honest that snoring can sometimes be a sign of a medical sleep problem such as sleep apnoea, which needs proper medical diagnosis. If we think that might be the case, we will point you to your GP first, because that sits outside what a dental appliance can safely treat.

The Practice Plan is aimed at your routine care, so it does not cover larger treatments in full, but it keeps your check-ups and hygiene visits simple to budget for. For the bigger treatments on this page, we set out the exact cost up front and offer a range of ways to pay, including finance. We will always talk you through the options before you decide.