Open TMJ surgery can be used to treat more significant jaw problems that haven’t been able to be solved with non-surgical treatment or an arthroscopy. At the London TMJ clinic, we have expertise in all areas of TMJ surgery and can help improve your quality of life.
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If other TMJ treatments have failed, open jaw joint surgery can provide an effective option to relieve your symptoms and restore function to your mouth and jaw. It involves a cut made in front of your ear, exposing the jaw joint to enable highly accurate diagnosis and treatment.
If open surgery is the best course of treatment for your case, we will discuss the procedure with you in detail, helping you understand what will happen during surgery and giving you the chance to ask any questions you may have. When you are happy to proceed, a surgery date is arranged.
To examine your jaw joint, a small incision is made in front of your ear. Your treatment plan is customised based on your specific condition and may include procedures such as biopsy, repairing, replacing or reshaping the cartilage disc or joint surface. Your open jaw joint surgery is carried out under general anaesthetic, involving a tube going into your nose.
The procedure takes around an hour for each side and sometimes requires an overnight stay in hospital, although some patients will be able to go home on the same day. You will be given bespoke post-operative instructions and advice, and a follow-up appointment will be arranged for around a week later.
After you have had open jaw joint surgery, it is important to rest, particularly for the first few days. You will need to take a week or so off work to ensure you give yourself adequate time to recover. You will be given an OraStretch device to help you carry out some post-operative physiotherapy exercises at home.
As you are under general anaesthetic during open jaw joint surgery, the actual procedure itself is not painful, but you will experience some pain and discomfort afterwards. This can be managed with pain medication, and it is important you take this as instructed to reduce pain levels and prevent headaches.
The main risks are infection and bruising and swelling of the face. You will likely experience some jaw stiffness, but this is temporary and can be helped with gentle exercises. The risk of infection and troublesome bleeding is very rare. Some risks are higher if you are older, obese, you are a smoke or have other health problems including diabetes and heart disease. For more information, click here to read our leaflet
If you would like to discuss treatment, book a consultation or just have a general enquiry, please get in touch.
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