BRENTWOODDENTAL & TMD
At a Glance
- Service: TMJ therapy: custom splint therapy, bite correction, and therapeutic BOTOX, matched to an imaging-based diagnosis
- Serving: Nashville and Davidson County, including West End, Green Hills, Belle Meade, and Bellevue, from the Brentwood office just south on I-65
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
- Accepting new patients: Yes
- Key differentiator: Treatment follows the diagnosis: the right appliance for your joint, with BOTOX reserved for muscle pain that resists primary care
Nashville has no shortage of dentists, but treating a TMJ disorder well is a narrower skill than general dentistry, and the treatment itself is not one thing. It is a ladder of options chosen to fit what imaging shows is actually wrong with your joint. Here is what that care looks like and what it can give you back.
What the right treatment restores
When a TMJ disorder is treated correctly, the everyday costs of it recede. The jaw stops aching by mid-afternoon. The headaches that shadowed your workday lift. Chewing a normal meal stops being a calculation. The clicking quiets and the sense that there is no comfortable place to rest your jaw finally resolves. The aim is a durable result, not a few days of relief that fades.
The treatment ladder, from conservative up
Treatment starts conservative and escalates only as needed. For most patients, a custom splint designed around their specific joint position does the primary work, unloading the joint and calming the muscles. Where an uneven bite drives the problem, correcting the occlusion becomes part of the plan. For chronic muscle pain that does not respond to those first steps, therapeutic BOTOX can settle the overactive chewing muscles. Each rung is added because the diagnosis calls for it, not by default.
One rule governs the whole ladder: BOTOX is never used before a TMJ diagnosis is established or as a standalone headache fix, because most patients have an underlying bite or joint problem that should be corrected first for the medication to work well.
Why a custom splint beats a drugstore guard
A generic night guard treats an average jaw. Yours is not average. If the real problem is a displaced disc rather than simple clenching, a one-size appliance can miss it or make it worse. A custom splint is fabricated to your diagnosis, which is why so many Nashville patients who already own a useless guard find that a properly designed appliance is what finally works.
Getting Here From Nashville
The office sits just south of Nashville in Brentwood, a straight run down I-65 to the Old Hickory Boulevard or Concord Road exits, then a short hop to Virginia Way. From West End or Green Hills, figure fifteen to twenty minutes outside of rush hour; from Bellevue, Highway 100 to I-440 to I-65 south is the cleaner path. On-site parking means none of the garage cost or circling you deal with downtown, and the 7:00 a.m. start lets you beat the southbound I-65 build-up.
Who this is for
TMJ therapy suits you if your jaw clicks, locks, or aches, if your bite feels unstable, or if you have headaches and ear pressure tied to jaw tension. A painless click still warrants evaluation, because these disorders progress. If testing shows a non-jaw source, you will be told rather than treated for the wrong problem.
Meet Your Doctor: Dr. Dennis M. Holmes
Choosing among treatment options is only as good as the person choosing, and Dr. Holmes has matched treatments to diagnoses across more than 12,000 TMD cases over 30+ years. He completes the custom restorative work in-house, having finished over 10,000 CEREC crown cases, and he administers therapeutic BOTOX with a precision, knowing how, when, where, and how much, that keeps it effective rather than wasted. For a Nashville patient weighing options, that is a clinician who can actually walk the full ladder rather than offer the one tool he happens to stock.
What to expect
The first visit is diagnostic: exam and imaging to establish what the joint is doing. Then a plan built from the ladder above, starting conservative. Relief usually builds over weeks as the joint and muscles stabilize, and the plan is designed to hold once you are done.
Nashville TMJ Therapy Questions
What are the actual treatment options for a TMJ disorder?
A: They range from a custom splint designed for your joint, to bite correction where an uneven occlusion is the driver, to therapeutic BOTOX for chronic muscle pain that resists first-line care. The plan starts conservative and escalates only as your diagnosis requires.
Is BOTOX a first option for TMJ pain?
A: No. BOTOX is reserved for chronic muscle pain that has not responded to primary treatment, and it is never used before a TMJ diagnosis is established. Most patients have an underlying joint or bite problem that should be addressed first for the medication to be effective.
I already have a night guard from a Nashville dentist. Why consider a custom splint?
A: A generic guard treats an average jaw and can miss a displaced disc entirely. A custom splint is built around your specific diagnosis, which is why patients whose store or generic guard did nothing often respond to a properly designed appliance.
How far is the office from central Nashville?
A: It is just south in Brentwood, about fifteen to twenty minutes down I-65 from West End or Green Hills outside of rush hour. On-site parking avoids the downtown garage hassle, and early 7:00 a.m. appointments beat the commute.
How long before TMJ treatment actually helps?
A: Relief usually builds over weeks rather than instantly, as the joint and muscles stabilize. The exact timeline depends on your diagnosis, which is why treatment begins with imaging rather than assumptions.
Brentwood Dental & TMJ
5120 Virginia Way, Ste C13, Brentwood, TN 37027
(615) 371-8888
https://brentwooddentalandtmd.com/areas-we-serve/tmj-therapy-in-murfreesboro-tn/
