I was in a acr accident the other day and got knocked around quite a bit. Now I have a lot of jaw pain and my jaw keeps making a popping sound whenever I chew. Could I have developed TMJ from this? Someone told me that’s what the popping is.
Brenna L. – New Mexico
Brenna,
Popping is a symptom of TMJ and it is possible to get it from a car accident, if your jaw was knocked out of alignmet. The only way to know for sure is to see a dentist who treats TMJ.
Do not hesitate to ask about their TMJ training credentials. There is not a recognized TMJ specialty. That means any dentist can call themselves a TMJ dentist even without additional training.
Some training qualifications will be Spear, Dawson Academy, The Kois Center, LVI (Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies). Those are good qualifications and you can feel assured the dentist will have a valuable understanding of TMJ and how to properly treat it.
This blog is brought to you by Salem, MA Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Randall Burba.