For someone suffering with fibromyalgia, visiting the dentist can be more than frightening, but severely painful. The pain associated with the condition fibromyalgia can cause serious pain when a sufferer must hold open their mouth for just a regular tooth cleaning procedure. If you suffer with fybromyalgia, check out how your trip to the dentist can be less painful.
Before You Go To A Dentist
If you have not been to a dentist in a while because of the fear of your fibromyalgia pain worsening, you need to look for a dentist (click here for more information) that understands your fear. The phobia you feel about the dentist is different than that of someone that is simply afraid of needles or the sound of a dentist's drill. You have a fear that is based upon real pain that is not directly caused by the dentist, but by your condition. Visiting a dentist that understands fibromyalgia and what it causes is important for you to get the dental care you need for good oral health. Once you have found a dentist that knows what you fear, you have greater chances of getting treatment that accommodates your fibromyalgia symptoms.
Opening the Door For Temporomandibular Joint Pain
Many fibromyalgia sufferers may have experienced extreme jaw pain while visiting their dentist for simple procedures. In most cases, the pain came from the muscles weakening that move the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the one responsible for opening and closing your mouth. When someone with fibromyalgia holds open his or her mouth for too long, TMJ can become immediate and severely painful. If your dental professional is aware of this issue before your cleaning, he or she can recommend solutions to help make your appointment more comfortable like the following:
Sedation: If you need to have a procedure done that requires surgery, like the procedure for dental implants, your dentist may offer to put you to sleep. Sedation at your dentist is done by a licensed anesthesiologist. All you will need to worry about is caring for your new implants after you get home.
Specially designed 'tooth pillows': Tooth pillows allow you to hold open your mouth without any effort.
Cervical pillows: Special pillows to place behind your neck instead of the traditional pillow used in a dentist's chair.
Oral medication: If you do not want to be sedated, your dentist can give you an oral medication that will help you relax more during your procedure.
Finding every way to manage the pain of fibromyalgia includes doing so at your dentist. Avoiding dental care can lead to problems like cavities and gum disease that could make the pain of your fibromyalgia a lot worse. By preventing poor oral health, you are taking steps to improving your overall health, a bonus for anyone that knows the pain of fibromyalgia.
Share19 March 2016
