Occlusal Splint Therapy is a conservative, non-surgical treatment designed to help reduce jaw pain, protect teeth, and improve jaw function.

A custom-made splint is carefully fitted to your teeth to support the jaw joints and reduce excessive pressure on the chewing muscles. This therapy is commonly used as part of TMJ disorder management and may help patients experience improved comfort during daily activities.

How it works

• Reduce pressure on the temporomandibular joints
• Help relax overactive jaw muscles
• Minimise teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism)
• Improve bite balance and jaw positioning
• Protect teeth from excessive wear
• Support more comfortable jaw movement

Our treatment process

1. Assess. Comprehensive TMJ and bite assessment
2. Plan. Personalised treatment planning
3. Fit. Custom splint design and fitting
4. Refine. Follow-up adjustments for comfort
5. Monitor. Ongoing monitoring and care

Jaw pain rarely has a single cause. Lasting relief starts with understanding how your joints, muscles and bite work together — and where things are going wrong.

At TMJ Clinic we begin with a comprehensive assessment of your jaw joints, chewing muscles, bite and daily habits. Based on the findings, we build a personalised pain-management plan that treats the cause of your symptoms, not just the pain itself.

Most patients improve with conservative care alone. Your plan may combine splint therapy, physiotherapy, habit retraining and medication guidance, and is reviewed at every follow-up visit.

What your plan may include

• Comprehensive TMJ and bite examination
• Custom occlusal splint therapy
• Jaw exercises and physiotherapy
• Habit awareness and retraining
• Medication guidance where appropriate
• Regular reviews to track progress

Our treatment process

1. Assess. Detailed history, examination and any needed imaging
2. Diagnose. Identify the joint, muscle or bite factors behind the pain
3. Plan. A personalised, conservative-first treatment plan
4. Treat. Therapy delivered step by step, with clear guidance
5. Review. Follow-ups to measure progress and adjust care

Bruxism — grinding or clenching your teeth, often during sleep — puts continuous strain on the teeth, jaw muscles and TMJ, and many people don't realise they do it.

Left unmanaged, bruxism can wear down teeth, trigger morning jaw pain and headaches, and aggravate TMJ disorders. Management focuses on protecting your teeth, relaxing overworked muscles and reducing the habit itself.

We assess the pattern and severity of your bruxism, look for contributing factors such as stress and sleep quality, and build a plan that usually combines a custom night guard with muscle-relaxation and habit-awareness techniques.

How we manage bruxism

• Assessment of tooth wear and muscle tenderness
• Custom-fitted night guard (occlusal splint)
• Muscle relaxation and stretching exercises
• Daytime habit awareness training
• Stress and sleep guidance
• Monitoring of tooth wear over time

Our treatment process

1. Assess. Examination of teeth, muscles and joints
2. Identify. Find triggers and contributing habits
3. Protect. Fit a custom night guard
4. Retrain. Reduce daytime clenching with awareness techniques
5. Review. Monitor wear and comfort at follow-ups

Myofascial pain is one of the most common causes of jaw and facial discomfort. It arises from tight, overworked chewing muscles and tender 'trigger points' that can refer pain to the face, temples and neck.

Because the pain often spreads beyond the jaw, myofascial pain is frequently mistaken for toothache, ear problems or migraine. Careful examination of the chewing muscles lets us locate the true source.

Treatment focuses on releasing tight muscles, calming trigger points and correcting the habits that overload them — usually through a combination of manual therapy, exercises, splint support and, where appropriate, targeted injections.

Treatment may include

• Trigger point examination and mapping
• Manual therapy and guided stretching
• Jaw relaxation and posture exercises
• Occlusal splint support where needed
• Trigger point injections in selected cases
• Habit correction to prevent recurrence

Our treatment process

1. Locate. Identify the muscles and trigger points involved
2. Release. Manual therapy and targeted treatment
3. Retrain. Exercises to restore comfortable movement
4. Prevent. Address habits that overload the muscles
5. Review. Track symptoms and adjust the plan

Like any joint, the TMJ responds well to structured rehabilitation. Physiotherapy-based rehab uses targeted exercises and manual techniques to restore strength, mobility and coordination to the jaw.

Your programme starts with an assessment of jaw movement, muscle function and posture — including the neck and shoulders, which often contribute to TMJ symptoms.

You then receive a personalised set of exercises and hands-on treatments, progressed step by step. Most techniques are simple to continue at home, so improvement carries on between visits.

Your programme may include

• Jaw mobility and stretching exercises
• Strengthening and coordination training
• Manual therapy for jaw and neck muscles
• Posture correction for head and neck
• Home exercise programme with clear instructions
• Progress reviews and exercise progression

Our treatment process

1. Assess. Jaw movement, muscles and posture
2. Plan. A staged rehabilitation programme
3. Train. Guided exercises and manual therapy
4. Practise. Simple daily home exercises
5. Progress. Reviews to advance the programme

Many TMJ symptoms are driven by habits you can't feel happening — low-level clenching and muscle tension that build up through the day. Biofeedback makes that hidden tension visible, so you can learn to release it.

During biofeedback training, gentle sensors monitor the activity of your jaw muscles and display it back to you in real time. With guidance, you learn to recognise the feeling of rising tension and to relax the muscles before pain develops.

Over a course of sessions, this awareness becomes automatic. Biofeedback works especially well alongside splint therapy and physiotherapy, and gives you a skill you keep for life.

How biofeedback helps

• Makes hidden muscle tension visible in real time
• Teaches reliable jaw relaxation techniques
• Reduces daytime clenching frequency
• Builds long-term awareness of tension habits
• Drug-free and completely non-invasive
• Complements splint and physiotherapy care

Our treatment process

1. Baseline. Measure your resting muscle activity
2. Learn. See your tension in real time and practise releasing it
3. Train. Guided sessions to build the relaxation skill
4. Apply. Use the skill in daily situations
5. Maintain. Occasional reviews to keep the habit

Arthrocentesis is a minimally invasive procedure in which the TMJ is gently flushed with sterile fluid. It can relieve pain and unlock restricted movement when the joint itself is the problem.

Using very fine needles, the joint space is rinsed to remove inflammatory by-products and release minor adhesions. The procedure is typically brief, performed under local anaesthesia, and requires little downtime.

Arthrocentesis is considered when examination and imaging show joint-based problems — such as a displaced disc or persistent inflammation — that have not settled with conservative treatment. It is usually followed by splint therapy and physiotherapy to protect the result.

Why it can help

• Flushes inflammatory mediators from the joint
• Releases minor adhesions restricting movement
• Can improve mouth opening quickly
• Minimally invasive, using fine needles only
• Usually done under local anaesthesia
• Short procedure with minimal downtime

Our treatment process

1. Confirm. Examination and imaging confirm a joint-based cause
2. Prepare. Local anaesthesia and gentle joint access
3. Lavage. The joint space is rinsed with sterile fluid
4. Recover. Most patients resume normal activity quickly
5. Protect. Splint and physiotherapy maintain the improvement

Most TMJ disorders improve without surgery — and at TMJ Clinic, surgery is always the last step, considered only when structural joint problems persist despite thorough conservative care.

When surgery is appropriate, the right procedure depends on the diagnosis: from arthroscopic (keyhole) techniques to open joint procedures for significant structural damage.

Every surgical patient is assessed in detail with imaging and a full review of previous treatment. We explain the options, benefits and risks clearly, and plan structured aftercare — including physiotherapy — to protect your result.

When surgery is considered

• Structural joint damage confirmed on imaging
• Persistent pain despite full conservative care
• Progressive joint disease
• Significant locking or loss of function
• Joint injury or developmental conditions
• Always after specialist multidisciplinary review

Our treatment process

1. Evaluate. Full assessment, imaging and treatment review
2. Discuss. Clear explanation of options, benefits and risks
3. Plan. The least invasive effective procedure
4. Operate. Performed by experienced specialists
5. Rehabilitate. Structured aftercare and physiotherapy