TMJ & Teeth Grinding Treatment in Mount Lawley
Jaw pain, morning headaches, clicking joints and worn-down teeth all have a cause — and usually a conservative, comfortable solution.
When your jaw is doing more work than it should
The temporomandibular joints sit just in front of each ear and are among the hardest working joints in the body. When the muscles around them are overloaded — often by clenching or grinding, sometimes by an uneven bite, stress, poor sleep or an old injury — the result can be jaw ache, restricted opening, clicking or grating sounds, and headaches that seem to start at the temples and never quite go away.
Teeth grinding, or bruxism, frequently happens overnight when you have no idea it's occurring. The first sign is often something your dentist notices: flattened biting surfaces, chipped enamel, hairline cracks, receding gums or teeth that have become sensitive to cold. Left unmanaged, years of grinding can wear teeth down significantly and cause fillings and crowns to fail early.
At Dental On Railway, Dr Simon Frame takes a careful, conservative approach. We start by working out what's actually driving your symptoms rather than jumping straight to treatment, and we always begin with the least invasive options — a well-made splint, targeted advice and simple physical therapies. Because you see the same dentist at every appointment, we can track subtle changes in your bite and your symptoms over time, which matters enormously with a condition like this.
What We Offer
Treatments & what to expect
Click any treatment to see the step-by-step process we'll take you through.
TMJ Assessment & Diagnosis
A thorough examination of your jaw joints, muscles, bite and wear patterns to identify what is causing your pain — because TMJ symptoms can come from very different sources and each needs a different approach.
Custom Occlusal Splints & Night Guards
A precisely fitted hard acrylic splint worn overnight is the cornerstone of grinding management. It absorbs the forces your teeth would otherwise take and lets the jaw muscles settle into a more relaxed position.
Bruxism Management
Protecting your teeth is only half the answer. We look at the triggers behind grinding — stress, sleep quality, caffeine and alcohol timing, medications — and work through practical daytime awareness strategies with you.
Bite Adjustment & Occlusal Equilibration
Where a small number of teeth are taking a disproportionate share of the load, carefully judged reshaping of the biting surfaces can distribute forces more evenly. We are deliberately conservative with this, and only proceed when the benefit is clear.
Jaw Exercises & Physical Therapy Referral
Gentle stretching, heat therapy and posture advice can settle muscular jaw pain remarkably well. Where appropriate we work alongside physiotherapists in the Mount Lawley and Perth area who specialise in the temporomandibular joint.
Restoring Worn & Damaged Teeth
Once the grinding is under control, we can rebuild teeth that have been chipped, flattened or worn thin using bonded composite, onlays or crowns — restoring both the appearance and the function of your bite.
Headache & Facial Pain Review
Many patients arrive having tried everything for recurring temple headaches. Where the pattern points to overworked chewing muscles, addressing the grinding often brings genuine relief.
Sports & Protective Guards
If you play contact sport as well as grind, we can make a separate custom sports mouthguard so that your night splint isn't damaged and each device does its job properly.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
Most people don't feel themselves grinding. The common clues are waking with a tight or tired jaw, dull headaches at the temples in the morning, teeth that feel sensitive to cold, a partner who hears grinding noises, and flattened or chipped edges on your teeth. Dr Frame can often confirm it from the wear pattern alone during a check-up at our Mount Lawley practice.
A splint doesn't stop the underlying habit, but it does two important things: it absorbs the force so your teeth stop wearing down, and for many patients it reduces muscle activity enough to ease jaw pain and morning headaches. That's why we combine it with looking at triggers such as stress, sleep and caffeine rather than relying on the splint alone.
Boil-and-bite guards are soft and bulky, and a soft material can actually encourage some people to chew harder on it overnight. They also don't balance your bite. A custom occlusal splint is made from hard acrylic to a digital scan of your own teeth, adjusted so the contacts are even, and reviewed over time — which is why it protects far more effectively and is much easier to sleep in.
Cost depends on what your situation calls for. A diagnostic appointment with imaging, a custom occlusal splint, bite adjustment and any restorative work are all priced separately, and the material and design of the splint affects the fee. Custom splints are typically in the mid-hundreds of dollars in Australia, and many health funds provide a rebate under general or major dental. We'll examine you first, explain what's driving your symptoms, and give you a written quote with item numbers so you can check your cover before deciding.
Not necessarily. Painless clicking that doesn't limit how far you can open is common and often needs nothing more than monitoring. Clicking that comes with pain, locking, a change in how your teeth meet, or a jaw that catches when opening does warrant assessment — so it's worth mentioning at your next visit even if it isn't bothering you much.
Stress is one of the strongest recognised contributors, though it's rarely the only one. Sleep disorders including snoring and sleep apnoea, certain medications, alcohol and caffeine, and an uneven bite can all play a part. That's why we take a full history rather than assuming — and why we'll sometimes suggest a conversation with your GP alongside dental treatment.
Jaw problems and dental anxiety often go hand in hand, and holding tension in the jaw during an appointment can make everything worse. We take an unhurried approach, explain each step, and offer Penthrox inhaled sedation, oral sedation and Twilight IV sedation with a visiting anaesthetist for patients who need extra support.
Waking up with a sore jaw or headaches?
Book an assessment with Dr Frame at our Railway Parade practice. We'll find out what's driving your symptoms and start with the gentlest option that will work.