Temporomandibular joint & orofacial pain · Rīga

The jaw is a joint.

So I treat it like one.

Describe your symptoms

02 — What brings people here

Clicking, popping, or a jaw that locks
Disc
The joint disc is moving out of place.
Morning headaches and tight temples
Muscle
Often the chewing muscles, not migraine.
Grinding, worn edges, cracked fillings
Bruxism
Bruxism leaves a record on the teeth.
Ear or facial pain with a healthy ear
Joint
The joint sits millimetres from the ear.
Pain that has already moved to the neck
Posture
Posture and the jaw share the same chain.

03 — Treatment

Treatment starts once it is clear what actually hurts, not the other way round.

Diagnosis and consultation
Around 30 minutes: jaw movement, muscle palpation, the bite, and your own account.
Splints and night guards
A splint made to your individual bite, to unload the joint and protect the teeth while the muscles settle.
Managing bruxism
Habit, sleep, stress and bite together. Where the muscle itself is driving it, botulinum into the chewing muscles.
Manual therapy and exercises
Exercises for the joint and jaw muscles you can do at home. Where the neck is part of the chain, a physiotherapy referral.
Restorative dentistry
Rebuilding worn edges and cracked fillings, after the cause is under control, not before.

Darja Gostilo's desk at the clinic — The room · RīgaMy deskQuiet, unhurried, around 30 min

Darja Gostilo at work in the clinic, wearing surgical loupes with a headlight — Examination · loupes and light

04 — Who I am

I studied dentistry at Rīga Stradiņš University and then kept going, because the jaw joint is where dentistry stops being only about teeth.

I work in Latvian, Russian and English, which matters more than it sounds. Pain is hard enough to describe in your first language.

Degree: RSU · DDS
Research: EDSA · 1st place
Trained: LMU · Karolinska
Focus: TMJ · bruxism
Portfolio: PDF
Publications: PubMed

Darja Gostilo at her graduation from Rīga Stradiņš University — Graduation · Rīga Stradiņš University

Darja Gostilo with fellow students from the European Dental Students' Association — EDSA · Student association

Darja Gostilo with Erasmus exchange students at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences — LMU · Erasmus exchange

Darja Gostilo with colleagues and mentors at the Karolinska clinic — Karolinska · Clinical exchange

What's new on the jaw joint

@dr.gostilo

05 — Clinical work

Shared with patient consent.

My specialism is the jaw joint and facial pain. It rests on everyday dentistry: three cases, documented from diagnosis through to the finished restoration.

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