TMJ Specialist, Sydney: Expert TMJ Treatment in Sydney

Get expert care from a leading TMJ Specialist in the heart of Sydney.

Doctor Samuel Kim is specialist oral & maxillofacial surgeons consulting in Bankstown and treat patients with surgical TMJ problems . In addition to being Sydney TMJ Specialists, Dr Samuel Kim provide a full range of other oral surgery services, from wisdom teeth extraction and dental implants to orthognathic (jaw) surgery as part of Bankstown Oral Surgery & Sydney Jaw Surgery.

TMJ & Jaw Surgery Clinic has now become part of Bankstown Oral Surgery and TMJ Clinics. New TMJ patients will be comprehensively assessed at the TMJ Clinics located within the new premise in Bankstown. Dr Kim is the surgical lead within this team and works closely with the non-surgical TMJ clinicians.

Do I Need a TMJ Specialist?

There are many different reasons you might need a referral to an oral/maxillofacial surgeon or TMJ specialist. Below we look at some of them.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is the joint which connects the jaw to the skull. It is a complex joint, as it allows for movement up and down as well as from side to side.

Temporomandibular joint disorder– shortened to TMJ disorder, or TMD– occurs when this joint suffers damage or stops functioning normally. Causes for TMD are varied, and include:

• Arthritis: Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and other inflammatory conditions
• Injury: Motor vehicle accident, sport injury, interpersonal violence, falls
• Grinding/clenching of teeth: night time or day time habits
• Genetic predisposition
• Any combination of the above

TMD Symptoms

It can be difficult to diagnose temporomandibular joint disorder, as it has many symptoms also attributable to other illnesses. The most common symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Earache
• Pressure and pain behind the eyes
• Brief restriction of movement of jaw, like locking
• Pain upon opening your jaw too far or yawning
• A toothache, pain in the face, neck and shoulder area

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should consult a medical practitioner, who will refer you to a TMJ specialist.

Non-Invasive Treatments for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

While our surgeons are specialists in oral surgery, most patients do not require surgical procedures. The majority of patients will have excellent outcomes with non-invasive or minimally invasive treatments, and often with both dental and medical options concurrently.

• Over-the-counter pain medication. Your medical practitioner may also prescribe some stronger pain medication, as well as anti-inflammatory medication to help minimise pain and reduce swelling.
• Wearing protective mouth guards or oral splints. The science behind this is not established, but some sufferers find that wearing a mouthguard or splint helps ease temporomandibular strain.
• Activities for relaxation/stress reduction: Grinding teeth and repeatedly clenching the jaw may contribute to temporomandibular strain. Many patients develop these habits out of stress, so meditation and other relaxation techniques can reduce their impact.
• Muscle relaxants: An injection of Botox, or a similar medication, may be administered for severe muscular pains. They can also help patients with heavy clenching or grinding para-functions. These injections are minimally invasive, and often are very helpful in diagnosis as well as reducing muscular fatigue.
• Physiotherapy can assist with exercising and strengthening the jaw muscle. It can also help to reduce teeth grinding.

You can also read more about non-surgical treatments for TMJ disorder at the TMJ Clinics website which focuses on patients who does not yet need surgery or surgery is inappropriate. 

www.tmjclinics.com.au

Surgical Treatments for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Arthroscopy

In some cases, your TMJ specialist may recommend arthroscopy for both further diagnosis and for treatment. This is a minimally invasive day surgery procedure, involving a small (2mm) puncture for an arthroscope. Your TMJ specialist can then inspect the joint directly for a stronger diagnosis.

During the procedure, the doctor can also insert small needles into the joint, to flush out debris and remove inflammatory by-products. They may also inject corticosteroids under direct vision of the arthroscope, to help with temporomandibular inflammation.

Many patients see excellent outcomes from TMJ arthroscopy. Often, patients will not require further procedures, especially if the arthroscopic findings were mild to moderate grades.

TMJ Surgery

Patients with advanced degenerative conditions may require open joint surgery. The extent of surgery required will depend on the response to less invasive therapies, MRI/arthroscopy results, and the severity of symptoms.

A few patients, with end stage TMD conditions, require temporomandibular joint replacement surgery. Our TMJ specialist Dr Samuel Kim is among the few in Australia to regularly perform these procedures, so experience is a great asset to ensuring a smooth procedure. Despite the complexities, our TMJ specialist surgeon Dr Samuel Kim can complete most replacement surgeries via a single incision in front of the ear, hidden by patient's own hair. He is the only one in Australia offering this technique as the pioneer. Most cases are carried out as a single-stage procedure, with expected hospital stay of two to three days.

Corrective Jaw Surgery

Orthognathic surgery, or corrective jaw surgery, is used to correct serious jaw damage, dysfunction or deformation. We are typically concerned with function when we perform this procedure, although improved appearance is often a secondary outcome. Your orthodontist may recommend jaw surgery for cases that cannot be corrected with the use of braces alone.

We do not take the decision for surgery lightly. Patients also need to be aware that treatment may take years to complete.

Conditions which may require corrective surgery include:

• Injury to the face
  
• Birth defects (such as cleft palate)
  
• Retruded or protruding jaws
• Facial asymmetry
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty chewing
• Chronic facial or joint pain (temporomandibular joint disorder)

Dr Peter Tsakiris is one of the most experienced and well respected orthognathic surgeons in Sydney. He is one of the main honorary consultant orthognathic surgeons at the combined multidisciplinary orthognathic clinic in the department of Orthodontics at the  Sydney Dental Hospital and at the Prince of Wales hospital.

Peter has been involved in this capacity in Orthodontic post graduate training for the last 7 years as well as the craniofacial & cleft clinics at the Sydney Children’s hospital. He also trained under the world renowned orthognathic surgeon Prof J Reyneke in South Africa before emigrating to Australia  in 2004.

For specialised treatment please contact us at TMJ & Jaw Surgery Clinic.

Wisdom teeth removal

Adults can have up to 32 teeth. At some time between ages 17 and 25, four adult teeth (“wisdom teeth”) will grow at the back of the mouth.

If the teeth emerge successfully, the wisdom teeth cause no problems. However, in many cases, the jaw is too small, and the wisdom teeth do not have enough room to grow because other healthy teeth still occupy the space. (This is particularly common for teeth in the lower jaw.) In such cases, the wisdom tooth pushes against the existing tooth, and winds up at an angle.

Dentists call this tooth “impacted.” Impacted teeth can cause pain, infection and other dental problems. Often the tooth may break through the gum without fully emerging, which can make the gum swollen and sore. The tooth will be difficult to clean properly, leading food and bacteria to gather around the site and cause further problems.

When an impacted wisdom tooth is causing pain or decaying, we need to remove it from the jaw. This can be a difficult process, depending on the position of the tooth and a number of additional factors– for example, upper teeth are usually easier to remove. Our dentist will take x-rays to assess your situation.

We typically use anaesthetic during the extraction of wisdom teeth. Sometimes, a general anaesthetic will be appropriate. This depends on the individual patient, and what we learn from the x-ray.

After the procedure, patients normally experience swelling at the extraction site. Generally, this will subside after a few days. Over the counter pain relief is generally recommended, and a followup visit is usual to check on healing and to remove any stitches.

Meet Our Sydney TMJ Specialist Surgeon

Our team of highly trained doctors

Dr Samuel Kim

A specialist oral & maxillofacial surgeon with a special interest and fellowship in TMJ surgery.

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Contact Us

TMJ Surgery Clinic / TMJ Clinics

Level 2, 402-410 Chapel Rd

Bankstown, NSW 2200

Ph 1300 123 865
Email [email protected]

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