How a TMJ Disorder Or Syndrome Causes Pain

The term TMJ disorder or TMJ syndrome refers to problems that arise due to a structural problem with the temporomandibular joint.

The temporomandibular joint is located on either side of the head right in front of the ears where the skull meets the jaw. Temporo refers to the skull and mandibular refers to the jaw bone.

Numerous factors may cause the structural problems that lead to TMJ syndrome. Poorly aligned teeth could be one cause. A missing tooth could be another cause. When this is the case, the bite of a person may become unstable and the jaw may get positioned further back than normal. The result is often that the protective disc between the skull and jaw becomes dislocated. Also, the muscles in the jaw area have to work harder in order to compensate for the abnormal jaw position. Pain often occurs because these muscles are overworked and strained over a long period of time.

The jaw or bite may also have become misaligned due to other reasons such as from a fall or accident. Long term grinding or clenching of the teeth is another common cause of a TMJ disorder.

Regardless of the cause of a misaligned jaw, this often forces many soft tissues to adapt not only in and around the TMJ area but also in the head, face, neck and ears. This adaptation causes tension in these soft tissues. And as time passes, these muscles and soft tissues become tighter and tighter. As a result, the persons posture can become worse and this can lead to even more structural problems.

All of this contributes to the involved muscles, ligaments and nerves becoming inflamed and creating additional pressure. It is this pressure which causes the pain associated with TMJ syndrome.

Why The Complexity of TMJ Disorder/Syndrome May Prevent TMJ Relief And Can Lead To Long Term Suffering

One of the reasons why a TMJ disorder is a complex problem is because there are so many muscles, nerves and ligaments in and around the temporomandibular joint. These soft tissues radiate out from the area of the temporomandibular joint itself to many areas of the head and body.

This means that pain due to inflammation in these soft tissues can be felt in areas of the head and body that are far away from the temporomandibular joint.

Quite simply, some people in the health field do not associate a TMJ disorder with pain in distant areas of the head and body. The root cause of pain is therefore not correctly diagnosed as TMJ syndrome. Many people needlessly suffer in pain for years because of this and never get TMJ relief.

The complexity of a TMJ disorder can also make this condition difficult to treat properly. TMJ dentists are a good resource for getting a thorough and complete diagnosis to determine if someone does, in fact, have a TMJ disorder. A TMJ dentist also has years of post-graduate study devoted to the treatment of the fundamental structural problem of TMJ syndrome.