Orthodontist-led · conservative care first
If your jaw aches when you chew, clicks or catches when you open it, locks up, or you are waking with headaches and tightness around the ears and temples, that is what we treat here. At Arasu Dental Care, our aim with TMJ treatment is simple: settle the pain, get your jaw moving normally again, and do it with the least invasive care that works for your case — not by rushing you toward surgery.
You are far from alone. In a study of more than 3,000 adults in Chennai, over half showed one or more signs of a temporomandibular disorder; across India, pooled research puts the prevalence at roughly a third of adults. Because so much of it starts with the bite and with night-time grinding, our care is led by an orthodontist — our founder, Dr. P.S. Sree Cumar.
Open all seven days, 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM · R.S. Puram +91 88380 22157 · Saibaba Colony +91 74491 88777
Not sure whether what you have is a TMJ problem? A consultation will tell you plainly — we examine the joint, your bite and your jaw muscles before suggesting anything. Book at R.S. Puram on +91 88380 22157 or Saibaba Colony on +91 74491 88777. Open every day, 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM.
Figures are well-established findings from published research (Chennai TMD survey; Indian systematic reviews; splint-therapy evidence), shown for context — not Arasu Dental Care outcomes.
Is this you?
TMJ disorder — clinically, temporomandibular joint disorder, often shortened to TMD — rarely shows up as one neat symptom. Most people who come to us recognise themselves in a handful of these:
Pain or tenderness in the jaw, especially when chewing, yawning or talking.
A click, pop or grating sound when you open or close your mouth.
The jaw catching, sticking, or briefly locking open or shut.
Headaches, or aching around the ears, temples, neck and shoulders that nothing has explained.
Waking with a tired, tight jaw — often a sign of night-time clenching or grinding.
If two or three of these sound familiar, it is worth having the joint looked at — this is a well-understood problem with well-established treatment.
Temporomandibular disorders are noticeably more common in women — in recent clinical series, women make up more than eight in ten of the TMD patients treated — and they affect a meaningful share of adults overall.
What tends to be behind it
Jaw problems usually have more than one cause working together. The ones we see most often are:

How your upper and lower teeth meet — occlusion. A misaligned bite is a frequent driver of jaw strain.

Bruxism — often during sleep. Global estimates put grinding and clenching at around one in five adults, and much of it goes unnoticed until the jaw or teeth start to complain.

Ongoing stress keeps the jaw muscles switched on, often without you realising, so they never fully relax.

An old blow or injury to the jaw or face can change how the joint moves long after it has healed.
That bite-and-grinding link is exactly why an orthodontist-led approach matters. If you already know you grind your teeth, treatment for teeth grinding and night-time clenching protects your teeth and takes load off the joint — and where the bite itself is the underlying problem, jaw and face correction addresses the structural side rather than just the symptom. Many clinics can fit a splint; fewer can also address what is causing the strain underneath.
How we treat TMJ at Arasu
There is good reason to start gently. Across the research, conservative, reversible treatment settles the large majority of TMD cases, and surgery sits at the very end of the line. In one recent comparative study, more than eight in ten patients recovered on conservative care, with custom splint therapy the most effective option. So the lightest effective step comes first, and we move up only if your jaw tells us we need to.
Before any treatment, we examine the joint, feel and listen to how it moves, check your bite and assess the jaw muscles — because the right treatment depends entirely on what is actually driving the pain: muscle, joint, bite, grinding, or a combination. Where it helps, imaging (a panoramic OPG or a CBCT scan of the joint) gives us a clearer picture before we commit to anything.
For most people, this is the workhorse of treatment. A custom-made splint, worn as advised, takes load off the joint, relaxes overworked muscles and protects your teeth from grinding. It is removable, comfortable to wear, and completely reversible. Across studies, splint therapy's success rate sits broadly in the range of seven to eight cases in ten. Relief usually builds over weeks to a few months rather than overnight, and how quickly it comes depends on your particular case. A custom splint is not the same as a pharmacy night guard — there is more on that difference in the FAQs below.
When the trouble is being driven by how your teeth meet, easing the symptoms is only half the job — the bite itself needs attention so the problem does not simply return. Because we are orthodontist-led, we can assess whether bite correction with braces or jaw and face correction is the right longer-term step for you, rather than treating the pain in isolation.
Alongside the appliance, simple measures do a lot of the quiet work: resting the jaw, soft foods for a while, warmth, gentle jaw exercises, and managing the stress and clenching that keep the muscles tense. We will show you what to do at home — day-to-day habits often make the difference between slow and steady progress. Where muscle tension and pain are a big part of the picture, our periodontist , who works in jaw-pain and laser-assisted care, supports this side of treatment.
A small number of jaw problems do not settle with conservative care and need a surgical opinion. If yours is one of them, we will tell you honestly rather than keep treating in circles — our in-house oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. P.R. Gouthaman, can assess whether a surgical route is warranted, and where specialised joint surgery is genuinely needed we make sure you get to the right hands. Surgery is uncommon, and always the last option, not the first.
Who looks after you
TMJ care can need more than one set of hands — bite and appliance work, muscle and pain management, and a surgical opinion where it is ever needed. Your care is led by an orthodontist and supported by the right specialist for your case, all under one roof.

Treats TMJ and jaw-pain cases as a core part of his practice, so the underlying bite is considered from the start.
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Gives a surgical opinion in the rare cases that need one, and refers on for specialised joint surgery.
View profileSeen in the clinic
Well-fitted splint therapy takes load off an overworked joint and helps the muscles settle; where the bite is the cause, correcting it keeps the problem from returning. The images below are from cases treated at our clinics.
clinic-photo: joint imaging / worn dentition
Clinic-supplied photo, OPG or CBCT showing the joint, an uneven bite or grinding wear before treatment.
clinic-photo: fitted splint / corrected bite
Clinic-supplied photo of the fitted custom splint or the corrected bite, once the jaw has settled.
What's honest to expect
For many people the pain eases substantially and stays settled. For some — particularly where grinding or ongoing stress is in the mix — it is a condition we keep under control with a little continued care, much like any other joint that has to be looked after. A few honest points worth knowing before you start:
Individual results vary depending on the cause and severity of your condition. A personal assessment with our dentists is the only way to know what is realistic for you.
Costs in Coimbatore
Honest answer: it depends — and any clinic that quotes a single flat price before examining you is guessing. What you pay turns on a few things:
What is actually causing the problem — muscle, joint, bite, or a mix.
The type of splint or appliance your case needs.
Whether bite correction is part of the longer-term plan.
How many adjustment and review visits your jaw needs to settle.
The sensible first step is a consultation and diagnosis, after which we can give you a clear, itemised idea of cost for your specific case. Here is what the initial assessment typically involves at Arasu:
| Assessment item | Cost at Arasu (₹) | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation & clinical exam | ₹300 – ₹500 | Assessing the joint, bite and jaw muscles. |
| OPG (panoramic jaw X-ray) | ₹400 – ₹600 | An overview image where it is needed. |
| CBCT scan of the joint | ₹1,000 – ₹4,000 | A detailed 3D view for more complex cases. |
| Splint / appliance & any bite correction | Quoted after diagnosis | Depends on what your case needs; bite correction follows our orthodontic pricing. |
Worried about cost — or whether it's even a TMJ problem?Book a consultation and we will examine your jaw before talking about anything else. R.S. Puram +91 88380 22157 · Saibaba Colony +91 74491 88777.
Book a consultationGet Started
If your jaw is hurting, clicking or locking, the next step is simple — let us take a proper look. Tell us a little about the problem and pick a time that suits you, at whichever branch is closer.
Getting jaw pain looked at early is simpler than waiting.
Why patients choose Arasu
Jaw problems are often misread — mistaken for ear trouble, sinus, or "just stress" — and treated in pieces. What we offer is a single place that looks at the whole picture: the joint, the muscles and, crucially, the bite.
Because so much TMJ trouble starts with how the teeth meet and with grinding, our founder Dr. P.S. Sree Cumar (MDS, Orthodontics) — Dentist of the Year, South Region at the 2023 ET Healthcare Awards — assesses your jaw, so the underlying bite is considered from the start.
Bite and appliance work, muscle and pain management (periodontist ), and a surgical opinion where ever needed (OMFS Dr. P.R. Gouthaman) — all under one roof.
We start with the least invasive treatment that works and only move up if your jaw needs it. Surgery is reserved for the rare cases that genuinely need it.
We examine the joint and bite and, where it helps, take OPG or CBCT imaging of the joint before committing to any treatment.
Care close to home at R.S. Puram or Saibaba Colony, open every day of the week.
Both branches are open 10 AM – 8:30 PM, Monday to Sunday, and you can usually be seen within the same week.
Let us take a proper look before talking about anything else
R.S. Puram: 129, W Sambandam Road, Coimbatore 641002 · +91 88380 22157 · Saibaba Colony: 160, NSR Road, Coimbatore 641011 · +91 74491 88777. Open 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM · WhatsApp +91 96007 56297.
Patient Reviews
My jaw had been clicking and catching for months. They examined the joint and my bite properly, started me on a custom splint, and the pain eased over a few weeks. No talk of surgery — just a clear plan.
I'd been treated for ear ache and headaches elsewhere before someone finally checked the jaw. Being orthodontist-led, they picked up that my bite was the driver and explained the whole thing calmly.
Night grinding was wrecking my sleep and my teeth. The custom splint they made is nothing like the shop-bought one I tried — it actually fits, and the morning jaw tightness has settled.
Anxious patient here. They were honest that mine didn't need anything invasive, started gently, and being open on a Sunday meant I didn't have to wait in pain.
FAQs
Almost certainly not. Conservative, reversible care manages the large majority of TMJ cases, and surgery is reserved for the rare situations where simpler treatment has genuinely been tried and has not worked. We start gently and only escalate if your jaw needs it — and a surgical opinion comes from our oral and maxillofacial surgeon, not as a first move.
Clicking, popping and catching usually come from the small cushioning disc inside the jaw joint not moving smoothly, often alongside muscle tension or an uneven bite. A clicking jaw is not always painful, but if it is locking, catching or sore, it is worth having assessed before it settles into a bigger problem.
For most people relief builds over weeks to a few months rather than overnight, especially with a splint worn consistently. How quickly it comes depends on the cause and how long the problem has been there — recent, muscle-driven jaw pain tends to settle faster than a long-standing joint issue. Results vary from person to person.
A shop-bought guard can take the edge off mild grinding, but it is not made for your bite, and worn nightly an ill-fitting one can shift your teeth or make things worse over time. A custom splint is fitted and adjusted to your jaw, which is why it does more than protect teeth — it helps settle the joint and muscles too.
When the jaw trouble is being driven by how your teeth meet, correcting the bite addresses the cause rather than just the symptom — so it can be part of a lasting solution for the right person. It is not the answer for every case, which is why we assess the bite before recommending it. Being orthodontist-led, this is exactly the question we are set up to answer.
Jaw pain that involves the joint, the bite or grinding sits squarely with a dentist — and, ideally, one with orthodontic training, since the bite is so often involved. If the cause turns out to be an ear, sinus or nerve problem instead, we will tell you and point you to the right doctor rather than treat the wrong thing. The first visit is really about pinning down where the pain is coming from.
It depends on the cause, the type of splint your case needs, whether bite correction is involved, and how many review visits your jaw needs to settle. The initial consultation and any imaging are modest and set out up front; treatment cost is quoted after diagnosis, with no obligation to proceed.
Medical disclaimer: this page is general information, not a diagnosis. Individual results vary based on the cause and severity of your condition and how closely aftercare is followed. Consult our dentists for a personalised assessment.
Still unsure what's going on with your jaw?
Book an assessment at R.S. Puram or Saibaba Colony and we examine the joint, your bite and your jaw muscles before suggesting anything. Open 10 AM – 8:30 PM, all seven days · WhatsApp +91 96007 56297.
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