Surgical Treatment of TMJ Disorders

Living with Jaw Pain? We Specialize in Surgical TMJ Solutions

TMJ-Disorder

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your jaw to your skull and plays a vital role in everything from talking to chewing to smiling. When this joint isn’t working properly, it can cause pain, stiffness, and significant daily discomfort.

If conservative treatments haven’t provided relief, surgical options may be the next step. At Sunridge Oral Surgery, we offer advanced procedures—including Botox, arthrocentesis, and joint surgery—to help patients find lasting relief from TMJ disorders.

What Are TMJ Disorders?

TMJ disorders are conditions that affect the jaw joint and surrounding muscles. You may be dealing with:

  • Jaw pain or tenderness
  • Clicking, popping, or grinding sounds when opening your mouth
  • Headaches or facial pain
  • Trouble opening your mouth fully
  • Locking or stiffness in the jaw

Common causes include grinding or clenching, joint damage from injury or arthritis, or bite misalignment.

When Is Surgery Considered?

Most patients try conservative treatments first—like bite splints, physical therapy, or medication. If these don’t work, your oral surgeon may recommend a surgical solution to address inflammation, joint dysfunction, or structural damage.

Treatment Options We Offer

Botox Injections for Jaw Muscle Tension

How it works:
Botox is injected into the jaw muscles to reduce tension and unconscious clenching. It’s a non-surgical, in-office procedure that can provide temporary relief for TMJ-related muscle pain.

  • Takes about 10–30 minutes
  • Minimal downtime
  • Results usually felt within a week
  • Can be used alone or alongside other TMJ treatments

Learn more about Botox as a TMJ treatment during your consultation.

TMJ Disorders

TMJ Arthrocentesis

How it works:
This is a minimally invasive, same-day procedure that flushes out the joint space to reduce inflammation and remove debris. A small amount of steroid may be left in the joint to relieve pain.

  • Done under general anesthesia
  • Involves flushing the joint through two tiny needles
  • May help improve movement and reduce chronic discomfort
  • Typically recommended when non-surgical treatments haven’t worked

tmj-touchan-calgary

Open Joint Surgery (Arthroplasty)

How it works:
This more involved surgery is performed under general anesthesia and used when the joint is severely damaged, scarred, or fused. It may involve:

  • Repairing or removing the damaged disc
  • Removing bone growths or scar tissue
  • Repositioning or reconstructing the joint

This option is typically considered when:

  • There’s significant degeneration or bony fusion (ankylosis)
  • Tumors are present near the joint
  • Arthrocentesis has failed or is not appropriate

Your surgeon will explain whether this approach is right for your situation and walk you through every step.

What to Expect After Treatment

Each procedure has its own recovery timeline and instructions. Most patients return home the same day and begin feeling relief in the days or weeks following treatment. We’ll give you personalized care instructions and follow up to ensure you’re healing well.

Learn More

Visit the Calgary Oral Surgery Group TMJ Disorders Page to learn more about surgical and non-surgical approaches to TMJ care.

Let’s Talk About Relief

If you’ve tried other treatments without success, Sunridge Oral Surgery can help. Call us today to schedule a consultation and explore the next steps toward lasting relief from TMJ pain.

Post-Operative Temporomandibular Joint Arthrocentesis Instructions

Proper care after surgery has an important effect on healing. Please read the following instructions carefully.

Pain Management

Some amount of discomfort is to be expected following any surgery. If your surgeon feels you will benefit from a prescription pain medicine, you will receive a prescription following your surgery. Please follow the instructions carefully.

  • Ibuprofen (such as Advil, Motrin) works very well for many patients and can reduce the amount of narcotic pain medicine (Tylenol 3, Percocet) needed significantly. You may find taking 400-600mg every 6 hours on a regular schedule for the first 2-3 days is all the pain medicine needed. You may alternate ibuprofen and narcotic pain medication for maximum pain medication if needed. Continue to take as directed as needed for pain. You can wean yourself off the pain medications if pain is controlled. You may or may not need to take all the pain medications for this reason.
    Those who are allergic to Aspirin or other NSAIDS cannot follow this regimen.
  • Begin taking your pain medications as directed as soon as you get home. Your pain medication can be taken with liquid only but it is important to get some soft/pureed food) in your stomach as soon as possible. Take all subsequent doses along with food to minimize nausea.

Numbness and Paralysis of Facial Muscles

Local anesthetic may infiltrate various layers of the skin, which may paralyse the facial nerve. The facial nerve may be in the vicinity of the surgery site and you may develop a temporary inability to close the eye completely or smile. This problem is temporary, however, should you feel concerned, please contact the office to speak with a nurse

Healing

  • You may notice small amounts of bleeding from the injection sites. This is usually minimal. If bleeding persists longer than 24hrs, call the office.
  • You may wash the injections sites when you are bathing.
  • You may experience fluid in the ears. This can feel like “swimmers ear” and can last for about 2-10 days. Dizziness may accompany this situation. Do not be alarmed as this feeling of fluid in the ears, will usually resolve without further treatment.

Swelling/Bruising

  • Some swelling and bruising in the area is expected. This is usually minor, but occasionally more pronounced swelling can occur. If this happens, it is usually a result of a sterile irrigation fluid that has entered the surrounding tissues. Most of the swelling will resolve within 24-36 hours.
  • Application of ice packs, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off at a time for the next 48hrs is recommended, with care not to harm or freeze the skin, especially while it is numb.
  • Crushed ice in a ziplock bag or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a moist cloth to prevent frost bite works well.
  • After the first 5 days, you can begin using a heating pad or moist heat for relief of stiffness of the jaw.
  • Apply heat 4 times/ day for 30 minute time intervals.

Diet

Following your procedure you will be on a soft or pureed diet until seen by your surgeon at the follow up appointment. At this point you will be given instructions as to when you can advance your diet.
Suggested foods include: puddings, oatmeal, smoothies, scrambled eggs, pasta, steamed vegetables , jello, and mashed potatoes

Stiffness

Tight facial muscles can be expected after the procedure. The application of heat as described above will help relax these muscles and relieve spasms. Exercise your facial muscles by opening and closing the mouth and massaging the sides of the face after heat application.

Questions

Your well-being is our primary concern and it is our sincere desire that you experience the least possible amount of discomfort or anxiety. Should you have any questions regarding your recovery, please do not hesitate to contact our office at (403) 235-0505.

Emergencies

If any unusual symptoms should occur please call our office at (403) 235-0505. If you are calling after our office hours or on the weekend, the answering machine will direct you to the oral surgeon on-call. In the event of an unexpected admission to a hospital related to a treatment at this facility, please notify us.