Posted: Friday, February 22, 2013 7:30 pm
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Updated: 7:38 pm, Fri Feb 22, 2013.
Posted on
February 22, 2013
The UTA Department of Psychology is currently seeking patients who experience Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorder to offer free treatment, graduate research assistant Celeste Sanders said.
Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorder, more commonly known as TMJ, is a condition that affects the key joint in the mouth and causes pain in the jaw while eating, chewing, talking or using the jaw, principal investigator Robert Gatchel said.
“Our program is designed to do two things: One is to catch it when it’s early in its acute stage,” he said
People have come to the department with early signs of Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorder, with pain in one of the joints, a grinding sound that is called crepitus or trouble opening the mouth, Gatchel said. The department will conduct an evaluation to make sure the patients have the disorder. Then, patients can participate in the early intervention treatment program that reduces pain, clicking in the joint and helps open in the mouth, he said.
The Department of Psychology has been doing clinical trials for 20 years and have a well-developed, effective treatment program, and have seen about 500 patients from all over the metropolitan, Gatchel said. People do get cured and it’s effective, he said.
The treatments are conducted over a three-week period of six sessions with three clinicians on staff conducting stress management techniques to reduce muscle tension, biofeedback and provide basic dental hygiene information, Gatchel said.
Lynette Watts, a UTA alumna taking extra courses, said she has had the disorder for as long as she can remember, but is not able to try the free treatment because she does not qualify. To treat her condition, Watts avoids activities, such as chewing gum, that add pressure to her jaw.
“If I qualified for the program, I would absolutely do it,” she said.
To qualify for the program and get free treatment, the patient must be 18 years old or older and must been experiencing symptoms for six months or less. Watts has had the disorder for more than six months.
The program is open for everyone who fits the requirements, Gatchel said.
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Friday, February 22, 2013 7:30 pm.
Updated: 7:38 pm.
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