Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Treatment By Specialists and Doctors

Do you feel any pain or soreness in front of ear, in jaw muscle teeth, cheek or temples? Does it hurt when you open your mouth wide for yawning? Do your jaws have pain and make enough loud noises to bother you? If your answer is ‘Yes’ for any of these questions, you might have temporomandibular disorder or TMJ. Read on to know more about TMJ.

What is TMJ?

Temporomandibular joint disorder is commonly referred as TMD or TMJ. It is the inflammation of temporomandibular joint which connects lower jaw to skull bone and allows you to yawn, talk and chew.

Symptoms of temporomandibular disorder:

• Pain in the face, neck or shoulders
• Headaches, earaches, dizziness, hearing problems and difficulty swallowing
• Occasional locking of the joint
• Continuous grinding of teeth
• Uncomfortable bite

Causes of TMJ:

• Jaw misalignment
• Teeth clenching and uneven bite
• Accidents may seriously dislocates the jaw resulting in TMJ
• Jaw trauma
• Any dental work like crowns, braces

Basic treatments for TMJ:

If you are diagnosed with TMJ, your dentist may recommend the basic treatments listed below. Most dentists agree that these TMJ treatments work best in combination. Some conservative treatments for TMJ include:

• When you consume soft food that does not require no or a little chewing like yogurt, cottage cheese, mashed potato, your jaw gets a good chance to rest and even heal quickly. You should consume hard crunchy foods that require your mouth to open wide to fit food.
• Some people find a routine moist heat, some exercises and ice packs helps TMJ symptoms. Start by smearing moist heat to side of your face or temple. This relaxes greatly the tight muscles causing spasms. Then perform a few simple stretching exercises.
• Take medicines! To alleviate swelling and pain, try some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin.
• Corrective dental treatments (link to cosmetic dentistry tab)including using crowns, bridges or braces to balance the biting surfaces of the teeth, replacing missing teeth can be the best solution for treating TMJ.
• Mostly, splints or mouth guard appliances are required to reduce the causes of TMJ.