“Dr. Bergin at Chiromed Wellness Centers is the best chiropractor in town. I no longer have to take pain meds. If you still have pain, you’re not seeing to best chiropractor.”
Condition
TMJ treatment
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
Jaw pain, clicking and a mouth that will not open the way it used to. We treat the muscles and joints around it, and we coordinate with your dentist rather than competing with them.
- Omniwave shockwave on site
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
- 22 years in practice
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 14, 2026
Quick summary
TMJ describes pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and the muscles that move it. Chewing hurts, the joint clicks, and the mouth opens less far than it did. ChiroMed treats the muscular and joint side of the problem with Omniwave shockwave therapy and hands-on care. We do not make splints or perform dental work. The first visit is $47.
Understanding tmj
The temporomandibular joint sits just in front of each ear and does something unusual: it hinges and slides at the same time, on both sides at once. When the muscles that control it are overloaded or the disc inside it tracks poorly, you get pain, clicking and restricted opening.
Two structures cause most of the trouble. The first is the muscular system: masseter, temporalis and the pterygoids, which clench overnight and fatigue like any overworked muscle. Those refer pain into the temple, the ear and the side of the face, which is why so many people with jaw dysfunction are convinced they have an ear infection. The second is the joint itself, where a small fibrous disc glides between the bones as you open. If it stops tracking properly you get the click, and if it catches you get the lock. Alongside both sits the upper neck, sharing nerve pathways with the jaw and frequently restricted in the same patients.
Jaw pain is exhausting in a way that is hard to explain to anyone who has not had it, because you cannot rest a jaw. You use it to eat, to talk, to swallow and to sleep, so it never gets a day off. Most people arrive at ChiroMed having already been told to try a night guard, already bought one, and already discovered it helped a little without fixing the problem. That is often because the guard addresses the clenching while the loaded muscle and the irritated joint carry on. The jaw joint behaves like any other overloaded tissue in the body, and that is the part we treat. Dr. Justin Bergin, DC examines the jaw and the upper neck together, since they rarely misbehave separately.
Independent background: TMD, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Symptoms
Most people recognise their own version somewhere in this list. Each one maps to a specific finding the examination checks for.
- Pain in front of the ear when chewing
- Clicking or popping when the mouth opens
- A jaw that catches, or locks briefly
- Limited opening, or opening off to one side
- Ear pain with no ear infection
- Aching in the temple or the cheek
- Facial muscles that fatigue during a meal
- Waking with a sore, tight jaw
- Neck stiffness travelling with the jaw pain
Common causes
Clenching and grinding
Most of it happens overnight, which is why people are surprised to be told they do it. Hours of sustained contraction load both the muscle and the joint.
Disc displacement inside the joint
The small disc between the bones stops tracking cleanly as the jaw opens. That produces the click, and when it catches, the lock that frightens people.
A change in how the bite loads
New dental work, a missing tooth, or years of chewing on one side alter how the two joints share the work. The joint doing more eventually says so.
Trauma and whiplash
A blow to the jaw or a collision that snapped the head forward can change joint mechanics long afterwards. Jaw symptoms months after a crash are worth mentioning.
Arthritic change in the joint
Like any joint, the jaw can develop degenerative change with time. That presents as grinding rather than clicking, with stiffness worst first thing.
Upper cervical dysfunction
The top of the neck and the jaw share nerve pathways and postural control. Restricted cervical motion keeps the jaw musculature working harder all day.
How we treat tmj in Lakeland and The Villages
Care targets the soft tissue that has been overloaded and the joints that have stopped moving well, jaw and neck together. Omniwave shockwave is applied to the muscular structures around the joint, with hands-on work restoring motion and reducing the load those muscles carry.
Omniwave shockwave therapy for the jaw musculature
Acoustic pressure waves delivered by the Omniwave unit into the masseter and temporalis, aimed at tissue chronically loaded and no longer responding to rest. Sessions are short and you can eat normally afterwards.
Chiropractic care for the upper cervical spine
The top of the neck and the jaw work as a unit. Restoring rotation and extension takes measurable work off the jaw musculature, which is often the difference between a result that holds and one that fades.
Soft tissue therapy for the muscles of mastication
Targeted manual work through the masseter, temporalis and surrounding fascia, including the tender points that refer into the ear. Most patients notice opening range improve within the session.
What recovery usually looks like
Examination of jaw and neck together Your first two visits
Opening range measured, joint tracking assessed, tender points mapped, upper cervical spine examined. The findings tell you which structures are involved.
Settling the muscular load The opening block of care
Early work targets the overloaded musculature, where relief comes quickest. Opening range is remeasured each visit, giving you a number rather than a feeling.
Reassessment At a set checkpoint in the plan
Opening range and pain on chewing are compared with the baseline. Where the numbers have not moved, the plan changes or you are referred to a dentist or oral specialist.
Managing the load long term After the active phase
Attention turns to the habits that reload the joint: chewing side, gum, stress clenching and sleep. Some patients hold a periodic visit through stressful stretches.
When to seek care sooner
Some of the most effective things for a jaw are free and immediate. Give it a rest period: soft food for a week or two, no gum, no ice, no tearing at crusty bread. Do not open wide to yawn. Alternate heat on the muscle with brief cold on the joint. Chew on both sides deliberately, because favouring one side is usually what started it. Keep the tongue on the roof of the mouth with the teeth apart during the day, which switches off a surprising amount of daytime clenching. Get seen promptly if the jaw locks and will not open, if there is facial swelling with fever, if the bite suddenly feels different after an injury, or if you develop new facial numbness. Jaw or left-sided facial pain arriving with chest pain, breathlessness or arm pain is a cardiac emergency. Call 911.
Red-flag findings belong with a physician, promptly, and not with conservative care alone.
Cost, insurance and financing
The cost of jaw care depends on how much of the plan is hands-on chiropractic work and how much involves the Omniwave shockwave protocol, since the two are paid for differently. The first visit is $47, covering the consultation, examination, X-rays if needed and the report of findings.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What moves the cost
- Whether the muscular side, the joint side or both are driving the symptom
- How many Omniwave sessions the examination suggests
- Whether the upper cervical spine needs treating alongside the jaw
What a course includes
- Jaw and cervical examination, opening range measurement and the report of findings
- Remeasurement of opening range as the plan progresses
Payment: The payment model here is mixed and written per service. Chiropractic care bills insurance, with benefits verified before the first visit. Omniwave shockwave therapy is cash pay, and we say so up front. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so ask the front desk to confirm yours.
Who you would be seeing
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years in practice and examines the jaw and the upper neck as one system, because in his experience they almost never fail separately. He is equally clear about the boundary: ChiroMed treats muscle and joint mechanics, and dentistry belongs to dentists. He built the practice to reject the rushed-appointment model, which for a jaw complaint means measuring opening range properly and tracking it.
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC, 22 years in practice, performs the examination personally and explains the findings before any program starts. Lakeland: 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, Lakeland. The Villages market office: 929 US-441 #404, Lady Lake. Both offices run the same program.
Getting to us
Lakeland patients reach the South Florida Avenue office from Highland City, Scott Lake, Southgate, Lakeside Village and the Harden Boulevard corridor, a straightforward run off the Polk Parkway. Bonnet Springs Park and Joker Marchant Stadium sit further north in the city. The Lady Lake office is on North US-441 just above CR 466, convenient from Spanish Springs, Brownwood Paddock Square, Oxford, Wildwood and Fruitland Park. Villages patients in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties who are mid-flare appreciate how short that trip is.
Browse every condition on the conditions we treat index.
Options compared, honestly
This is treated very differently depending on who you walk in to see. Here is the full set, including the options this practice does not provide.
| Criteria | Our approachOmniwave shockwave with hands-on care | Occlusal splint or night guard | Anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxant medication | Corticosteroid injection into the joint | Jaw surgery or arthroscopy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Acoustic wave therapy to loaded muscle, with manual release and cervical care alongside | A custom appliance worn at night to protect teeth and reduce clenching load | Medication to reduce inflammation or relax the musculature short term | Steroid placed inside the joint capsule | Arthroscopic or open surgery on the joint |
| Typically considered when | Muscular overload and restricted motion are driving the symptom | Night-time grinding is confirmed and tooth wear needs protecting | Pain is acute and limiting while other care takes effect | Inflammatory joint pain persists despite conservative care | Structural joint disease is confirmed and conservative care has failed |
| Invasive? | No. Nothing injected, nothing cut | No | No, though the effects are systemic | Yes. Needle-based procedure | Yes. Surgery on a small and complex joint |
| Offered at ChiroMed? | Yes, at both offices | Not made here. Appropriate when a dentist confirms grinding, and we will happily work alongside one | Not prescribed here. Appropriate under your physician for short-term symptom control | Not performed here. Appropriate when an oral and maxillofacial specialist judges inflammation is the driver | Not performed here. Appropriate for confirmed structural joint disease after conservative care has failed |
ChiroMed does not make splints, adjust a bite or perform dental work of any kind. Where grinding, tooth wear or bite mechanics are part of the picture, your dentist owns that half and we are glad to run alongside them rather than instead of them.
What to expect
From evaluation to a plan for your tmj
A course, not a single visit. The examination decides the length and the cost, and both are written down first.
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01Evaluation
Orthopedic and neurological testing, with imaging on site where it changes the plan.
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02Findings, in plain language
What the examination actually found, and honestly whether this is a case conservative care can help at all.
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03A written program
Which disciplines, how many visits, over what period, and what it costs. Decided before anything begins.
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04Reassessment as it runs
Function is re-measured through the course. If the response says the plan should change, it changes.
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Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
“I have had sich a great experience seeing Dr. Bergin. When other offices have told me I just had muscle damage or the only thing they could do for me was give shots, he said he had others ways to manage my pain and numbness, along with improving mobility. And he was right! I feel so much better!”
“I have had pain in my right upper back quadrant by my shoulder blade for at least a year now and the doctors have been unsuccessful in making the pain go away. I came to Dr. Bergin looking for some help. Within 3 to 4 weeks. My pain in that area is completely gone.”
“Dr. Bergin is phenomenal. Chronic lower back issues led a different doctor to mention back surgery to me. That was not an option I wanted to entertain. After a consult with Dr. B, he was confident that he could help resolve my back issues. I’ve been seeing him weekly to resolve the issue, and I am so pleased with the results so far! More mobility, less pain, and a great customer experience.”
“I bless the day that Dr. Bergin started working on me. I have had long standing pain for so long. After just a few visits my pain left and I feel so good. He is very patient oriented and caring. I regard him highly.”
“Dr. Bergin was instrumental in relieving my back pain which I had for many years. The techniques he used on relieving my back pain were impressive. I been going to chiropractors for years and Dr. Bergin is the best.”
Get in touch
Schedule your tmj evaluation
Tell us what you are feeling and which office is closer. A member of the ChiroMed team follows up within one business day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
- 2
We call you back
A real person, within one business day, to find a time that works.
- 3
Exam and answers
History, orthopedic and neurological testing, imaging on site when it changes the plan.
- $47 consultation, exam, X-rays if needed and report of findings
- Payment plans available on the self-pay programs
- 4.8 out of 5 from 225 Google reviews
- Choose Lakeland or The Villages on the form
TMJ questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
What kind of doctor should I see for TMJ?
It depends which half of the problem you have. A dentist owns bite mechanics, grinding and appliances. A chiropractor or manual therapist addresses the muscular and joint side, and the neck that usually travels with it. An oral and maxillofacial specialist handles structural joint disease. Plenty of people need two of the three.
the clinic teamCan a chiropractor help TMJ?
Where the driver is muscular overload or restricted joint motion, which covers a large share of cases, hands-on care and shockwave therapy help meaningfully. Where the driver is a bite problem or advanced degenerative disease inside the joint, it will not, and the examination is what separates those.
the clinic teamDoes TMJ go away on its own?
A lot of short-lived jaw pain settles with rest, soft food and time, and it is reasonable to try that for a week or two. What tends not to resolve on its own is pain that has run for months, a joint that clicks with a catch, or opening that has measurably reduced.
the clinic teamIs there any downside to shockwave therapy?
The common effects are mild and short-lived: some tenderness in the treated area, occasionally slight redness, usually gone within a day. It is not appropriate over certain areas or for some medical conditions, which is why the examination and history come first rather than the device.
the clinic teamIs shockwave therapy worth the money?
It is worth it when the examination shows a genuine soft-tissue target and you want to avoid injections or surgery. It is not worth it as a general jaw remedy applied without a finding. We would rather tell you your presentation is not a good fit than sell you a course of it.
the clinic teamWill insurance pay for TMJ treatment here?
The chiropractic portion bills insurance and the front desk verifies your benefits beforehand. Omniwave shockwave therapy is cash pay. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so ask us to check your policy specifically before anything is scheduled.
the clinic teamSame-week appointments
Start with an examination, not a package.
Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
- $47 consultation, exam and report
- 22 years in practice
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47