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– TMJ Treatment in Calgary SW
TMJ Treatment
Jaw pain. Clicking. Tension headaches. Neck stiffness. If these sound familiar, you may be living with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction – and you don’t have to. At Westside Dental in West Springs, Calgary, we offer the most comprehensive TMJ treatment available at any dental clinic in the region. Our approach combines the latest non-invasive technology with proven dental therapies to address jaw pain at its source – and keep it from coming back.
Understanding TMJ Dysfunction
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the hinge that connects your jaw to your skull. You have one on each side of your face, just in front of your ears. When this joint and the surrounding muscles are working well, you can speak, chew, and yawn without a second thought. When something disrupts that balance – whether from clenching, grinding, injury, stress, or poor bite alignment – the result is a condition known as TMJ dysfunction (also called TMD).
TMJ dysfunction is more common than most people realize, and its symptoms can extend well beyond the jaw itself.
Common symptoms include
- Jaw pain, soreness, or tenderness
- Clicking, popping, or locking of the jaw
- Headaches and migraines, especially in the temples
- Neck and shoulder pain or stiffness
- Ear pain or a feeling of fullness in the ears
- Facial tension or fatigue
- Teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism)
- Difficulty opening the mouth fully
- Pain when chewing or yawning
If you recognize several of these symptoms, a TMJ assessment at Westside Dental is your first step toward real relief.
Calgary’s Most Comprehensive TMJ Care
Most dental clinics offer one or two options for TMJ – typically a mouth guard and maybe a referral. At Westside Dental, we have built a full suite of the most advanced TMJ treatments available anywhere in Calgary, allowing us to create a truly personalized plan for each patient.
We are one of the only dental clinics in Alberta with access to all of the following
- EMVITAL® — High-intensity laser therapy, clinically proven to relieve jaw pain and reduce inflammation
- EMFACE® — Health Canada-approved muscle stimulation that directly targets the jaw muscles for TMJ relief
- Therapeutic Botox — Relaxes the masseter muscle to ease grinding, clenching, and jaw tension
- Custom mouth guards — Protects your teeth and reduces joint strain from nighttime bruxism
- No referrals. No waiting lists. Everything under one roof.
How We Treat TMJ at Westside Dental
EMVITAL is a hands-free, high-intensity 1064 nm laser therapy that delivers deep, precise energy to the jaw muscles and joint – reducing inflammation, improving circulation, and providing meaningful pain relief without medication or surgery.
In a multi-center clinical study involving 31 participants with TMJ dysfunction
- 97% of patients reported their jaw felt more relaxed after treatment
- 84% improved their TMD Disability Index scores after just 4 treatments
- 75% increased their maximum jaw range of motion
- 74.2% reported reduced pain, with an average 41% reduction in perceived pain
- Treatment consists of 4 sessions of approximately 20 minutes each. There is no downtime, no needles, and no discomfort — most patients describe the sensation as a gentle, soothing warmth.
- As the first clinic in Alberta to offer EMVITAL, Westside Dental brings a level of TMJ care that is genuinely unique in the province.
EMFACE® Functional TMJ Treatment
EMFACE is Health Canada approved and FDA-cleared specifically for the treatment of TMJ dysfunction and associated jaw pain. Using a combination of synchronized radiofrequency (RF) and HIFES® muscle stimulation, EMFACE directly targets the jaw’s elevator and closing muscles – relaxing tension, easing pain, and restoring healthy range of motion.
Unlike most jaw treatments that only address the joint or tooth surface, EMFACE works at the muscle level – treating the root cause of the tension and dysfunction. Sessions are 20 minutes, fully hands-free, and require no downtime.
EMFACE and EMVITAL complement each other exceptionally well for TMJ patients
- EMVITAL addresses deep tissue inflammation, circulation, and pain relief at the joint level
- EMFACE targets the jaw muscles directly, reducing tension and improving function
- For patients with moderate to severe TMJ dysfunction, combining both treatments often produces the most comprehensive and lasting results.
Therapeutic Botox for Jaw Pain & Bruxism
Therapeutic Botox – not to be confused with cosmetic Botox – involves precise, low-dose injections into the masseter muscle (the large chewing muscle on either side of your jaw). When the masseter is overactive from clenching or grinding, it can drive significant jaw pain, headaches, and tooth wear.
Therapeutic Botox for Jaw Pain & Bruxism
By temporarily relaxing the masseter with therapeutic Botox, we reduce the force of grinding and clenching, giving the joint and surrounding tissue a chance to recover. Results typically last 3–6 months, and many patients notice improvement within 1–2 weeks of their first treatment.
Therapeutic Botox also has a secondary aesthetic benefit: over time, it can gently slim the lower face by reducing the bulk of an overworked masseter – a popular outcome for patients seeking both relief and a more refined facial contour.
Custom Mouth Guards
For patients who grind or clench their teeth – particularly at night – a custom-fitted mouth guard is one of the most important tools in protecting the jaw joint and tooth surfaces from further damage.
Unlike over-the-counter guards from the pharmacy, our custom mouth guards are precision-fabricated using digital scans of your teeth. They fit accurately, feel comfortable, and distribute force evenly to reduce joint strain. For many patients, a custom guard is an essential complement to their other TMJ treatments.
Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional therapy addresses the way the tongue, lips, and facial muscles function – patterns that, when disrupted, can contribute to jaw dysfunction, sleep-disordered breathing, and postural strain on the jaw joint. Through a series of guided exercises, myofunctional therapy helps retrain these muscle patterns to reduce strain on the TMJ over time.
This is particularly valuable for patients whose TMJ dysfunction is connected to mouth breathing, tongue positioning, or swallowing patterns. Your provider will assess whether myofunctional therapy is a relevant part of your treatment plan.
Your TMJ Assessment at Westside Dental
Every TMJ patient at Westside Dental begins with a thorough assessment so we can understand the full picture — not just your pain, but its likely source and the treatments most likely to resolve it.
Your assessment includes
Step 1 — Full history We listen carefully. You’ll share when the symptoms started, what makes them better or worse, your stress levels, sleeping habits, and any previous treatments. This context shapes everything.
Step 2 — Physical examination Your provider assesses jaw range of motion, joint sounds, and muscle tenderness around the jaw, temples, and neck. We also evaluate your bite and tooth wear patterns for signs of clenching or grinding.
Step 3 — Digital scan If indicated, we use our digital scanning technology to capture a precise 3D model of your teeth and bite — helping us identify any structural contributions to your TMJ symptoms.
Step 4 — Personalized treatment plan Based on everything we find, we present a clear, prioritized plan — explaining what’s contributing to your symptoms and which combination of treatments we recommend, in what order.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to TMJ at Westside Dental. Your plan is built around you.
The TMJ–Whole Body Connection
TMJ dysfunction rarely exists in isolation. At Westside Dental, we treat it as part of a larger picture of your health and wellbeing – because the jaw is connected to everything.
TMJ and sleep, TMJ and mental wellness, and TMJ and posture
TMJ and sleep: Clenching and grinding disrupt sleep quality and are often associated with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea. If you’re waking up with jaw pain or headaches, we may recommend a sleep assessment as part of your overall care.
TMJ and mental wellness: Chronic pain — including jaw pain – has a well-documented impact on mood, anxiety, and quality of life. Our EXOMIND® brain stimulation treatment is available for patients whose mental wellness has been affected by chronic pain or stress.
TMJ and posture: The jaw, neck, and upper spine are mechanically connected. Persistent jaw tension often travels upward into headaches and downward into neck and shoulder stiffness. Myofunctional therapy and EMVITAL can both support this broader pattern of relief.
What the Research Shows
The TMJ treatments we offer at Westside Dental aren’t experimental – they’re backed by peer-reviewed clinical evidence.
EMVITAL clinical study – facial pain, 31 participants, multi-center USA
- 97% reported their jaw felt more relaxed after treatment
- 84% improved TMD Disability Index scores
- 75% increased maximum jaw range of motion
- Average 41% reduction in perceived pain
- No serious adverse events
EMFACE clinical data
- FDA-cleared and Health Canada approved for TMJ dysfunction
- Targets jaw elevator muscles directly via HIFES stimulation
- Significant improvements in jaw pain, jaw relaxation, and range of motion at 1 and 3-month follow-up
- No downtime, no needles, no anesthesia
- Data on file. Individual results may vary.
