Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD) – The Quiet Dental Problem

The temporomandibular joint is what connects the temporal bone of your skull to the lower jaw.  It’s the part that allows your jaw to move so you can eat and talk.  When a condition develops that affects the movement of your lower jaw, the muscles around it, and your bite it’s usually referred to as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) which is usually incorrectly called TMJ.

Although the exact cause is not known, dentists believe that there are a few reasons for the disorder:

• Putting pressure on the TMJ by constantly grinding or clenching your teeth.  Stress is a big factor.  The person usually ends up tightening their facial and jaw muscles which leads them to clenching or grinding of their teeth
• The dislocation of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket
• The existence of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis in the TMJ

People with TMD can experience severe pain and discomfort that can be temporary or last for many years.

Symptoms of TMD can include the following:

• Pain or tenderness in the face, jaw joint area, neck and shoulders while talking, chewing, or just having your mouth wide open
• Limited ability to open the mouth very wide
• Jaws that get “stuck” or “lock” in the open- or closed-mouth position
• Clicking, popping, or grating sounds in the jaw joint when opening or closing the mouth (which may or may not be accompanied by pain) or chewing
• Swelling on the side of the face
• Other symptoms might include toothaches, headaches, dizziness, neck and ear aches.

In order get properly diagnosed your dentist will have to go through your dental history and do an exam that will include looking for pain, clicking or popping sound in the jaw area.  The dentist will take a panoramic x-ray and then examine your bite.  If the dentist is unable to come to a definite answer then you might have to go to an oral surgeon for further testing.

Solutions for TMD  

Dentists will tell you that there is no definite solution to curing TMD.  The most common advice dentists give their patients is to try and change some habits in order to alleviate the problem.

• Avoid stress.  Tension often leads to grinding one’s teeth.  The dentist will suggest learning some relaxation techniques.
• Do not chew gum and try eating soft food more often.  It’ll decrease the time spent on chewing.
• Use moist heat or cold packs to alleviate the pain.
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
• Use a splint or night guard to correctly position the teeth.

If natural remedies don’t work the dentist can prescribe short-term muscle relaxers to ease muscle contractions or try to correct the problem by doing corrective dental treatments such as replacing crowns and bridges.  Dental surgery such as arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, and open-joint surgery to correct TMD is usually the last option if all other treatments were unsuccessful.