Technology Used During Your Visit for TMD
Technology plays such an important role in our daily lives. If you add up all the technology that you used today, the number would probably surprise you. We use technology in our office to assist with our diagnosis and treatment of TMD being that it is a complex disorder with many potential causes.
When a patient visits our office suffering from TMD we try to figure out the cause of their suffering in a similar manner to solving a puzzle. We take note of their symptoms and put all of them together to determine the cause of the problem. Technology is beneficial in solving these puzzles. Using a variety of methods during your exam, we are able to take images from your head, face, and neck and use them to determine the cause and treatment that would be most beneficial to you.
Radiography Used During Exam
We use a variety of X-ray methods to capture images from all parts of your facial anatomy:
Panoramic – This 2D image captures the entire mouth, including teeth, upper and lower jaws. It also provides images of the surrounding structures and details of the bones and teeth. It takes the curved shape of the jaw, similar to the shape of a horseshoe and flattens it into a single image.
Cephalogram – This is an X-ray of the entire craniofacial area including the makeup of the skull, facial structure, soft tissues, and bones. These images can be used to find the relation to your teeth and your jaw and recognize any problems in alignment that could be causing issues with TMD.
CBCT or Cone Beam Computed Tomography – This 3D image captures high-quality images of the teeth, bone, and facial nerves. It provides additional information that cannot be seen with a 2D image.
We may also refer you to an imaging clinic to get an MRI, which is magnetic resonance imaging. This is used to take detailed and accurate images of soft tissue images.
If you have questions about what technology may be used during your TMD appointment, please contact our office located in Auburn & Silverdale, WA, and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
