TMJ/TMD

"TMJ" stands for "temporomandibular joint" and usually refers to problems with that joint. The joint is the one that allows your jaw to open, shut and slide your chin forward. It's a joint that takes a lot of stress, even under the best of conditions. Its proper alignment and function depends on many factors, including your teeth, the muscles of your face and mouth, and your ways of coping with stress. The range of problems with TMJ is broad, but any disruption of its function usually results in a misalignment of the teeth and jaw and gradual deterioration of the joint.

The causes of TMJ problems are varied. Mouth or jaw injuries, such as those occurring in auto accidents or sports injuries can often start TMJ problems. The jaw can become misaligned due to injury, and the joint may wear unevenly due to the misalignment. The TMJ problems may develop slowly, over a period of years after the injury. Personal habits such as chewing pencils or ice, grinding teeth, or clenching the jaw from tension can also create a TMJ problem. Stress and headaches are also associated with this condition.

What are the symptoms of TMJ?

Face or jaw pain, noises such as a clicking when the jaw is opened, or difficulty in opening the jaw are all symptoms. Some people report that the jaw pain travels to the head, neck, ears, shoulders and arms. TMJ should be suspected in anyone who suffers from frequent headaches that have no known cause. The symptoms generally worsen over the years unless the problem is treated.

The problem may not be in the joint itself; it may be located in the powerful muscles of the jaw. If this is the case, muscle relaxation is the goal. This may be accomplished by learning to control stress, using physical therapy to exercise the jaw muscles, or using local anesthetic pain control. infrequently, muscle relaxants are prescribed to help the jaw muscles relax and heal. In some cases, a special mouthpiece is designed to realign the mouth and ease the pressure on the jaw joint.

If the problem is severe and does not respond to conservative treatment, the alignment of the jaw and mouth must be altered. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but should only be undertaken when other methods fail, because the treatment is permanent and cannot be reversed. Changing the alignment of the teeth and jaw should only be attempted by someone who is well experienced in successful treatment of TMJ. Sometimes the alignment of teeth is altered by grinding the surfaces so that the upper and lower teeth meet more harmoniously. In more severe cases, surgery is performed to repair the temporomandibular joint. If the jaw joint is found to be deteriorated beyond repair, an artificial joint can be used to replace it. Orthodontics is often employed to align the teeth into a more harmonious tooth position to support the jaw and the chewing muscles.

Generally it is well to begin with more conservative approaches which are reversible in nature, rather than to quickly implement invasive non reversible procedures.