Temporomandibular Disorder (often referred to as TMD or TMJ) is exactly what the name implies - a disorder of your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Now that we've cleared up that mouthful, what does that even mean? What are the symptoms and causes of it? Lastly, what can I do about it? Most importantly, it will be referred to as TMJ and TMD for the rest of this page (because there is no way I'm typing that over and over).
That is a TMJ?
The TMJ is a joint similar to any other in your body (think of it like your knee) only way more complicated. It provides cushion for your lower jaw on opening and chewing movements. Your knee only bends in one direction when you walk, your TMJ is capable of moving up, down, forward, backward and side to side making it one of the most complex and used joints in the human body. The TMJ is important in functions like chewing and speech.
What are the symptoms and causes of TMD?
The actual cause of TMD is a complicated answer, largely due to the fact that it is believed to have several factors working together (or against you depending on how you look at it). As you'll see below, there are many symptoms and contributing factors that make determining the origin difficult. TMJ pain can range from mild to severe and be either acute or chronic.
What can we do about TMJ problems?
Jaw pain can interfere with your life and affect your mental health, waking up every morning with headaches and pain is no way to live. Recognizing the causes early can help you seek treatment and get back to living comfortably. Here at Old Hook Dental, we always start conservatively by offering treatments that can relieve pain, get you off of medication and feeling back to normal without the need for invasive surgery or painful procedures.
For acute (temporary) TMJ pain, the obvious solution like any over worked muscles from going to the gym, give them rest. Take an over the counter anti-inflammatory, apply moist heat and try to use your jaw as little as possible, stick to a soft food diet for a few days. All of this will reduce inflammation, tension and soreness.
For longer standing pain there are numerous routes that need to be investigated. We may recommend the opposite of above, specific exercises that will stretch and strengthen the TMJ (as ridiculous as they may be to perform, we have gotten quite good results from this method). Along with the exercises, splint therapy can be used as well to provide some relief by giving the muscles a chance to relax when we don't want them used and/or repositioning the jaw into a more favorable position. This can be accomplished by different split types, such as a stabilization splint, bite splint or repositioning splint. These allow the muscles under tension to get a break; it will also protect your teeth from further wear. Your natural bite can also be inspected to ensure there are no occlusal interferences causing the issue - if there are, reshaping of the teeth and bite may correct the problem. If the TMJ pain is a direct result from broken or missing teeth veneers, crowns, bridges and implants can be used to more evenly distribute biting forces. Below you will see many types and variations of appliances used for TMJ issues.
- In chronic and extremely painful cases, it may be necessary to seek a specific diagnosis and treatment. Referral to either an orthodontist for bite related issues or an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for a more detailed examination may be recommended.