TMJ Symptoms

TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint, which is the joint in the temple area where the lower jaw pivots against the skull. TMJ syndrome (also called TMD, for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder) is a collection of symptoms all resulting from a defect in the way the jaw joint works.

Because there are some large nerves running through the temple area, across the face and head, and down the neck to the shoulders, pain can be felt in any of these areas, all from stress in the way your jaw joint operates.

Reasons why you might develop TMJ

· A blow to the head, which knocks the joint out of position.

· An inherited flaw in the structure or positioning of the jaws.

· Many years of teeth grinding, or gum-chewing. This can generate stress in the whole joint area and can wear down the cartilage pad, which buffers the jawbones; it's supposed to protect the upper and lower jawbones from rubbing directly against each other. When it's worn, or out of position, and the bones rub on each other, pain is generated.

· Misaligned teeth, which cause the lower jaw to meet the upper jaw in a tense position. This is called dental malocclusion, or a misaligned bite.

Common symptoms

You may be suffering from TMJ if you have:

· Severe headaches

· Earaches

· Ringing in the ears

· Worn teeth

· A clicking noise when opening or closing your jaw

· The jaw getting locked or stuck

· Swelling around the jaw joint

· Tenderness or pain around the jaw joint

· Pain in your neck or shoulders

· Tingling in the fingers

· Dizziness

These symptoms can emerge in different combinations for different people. They are not all located exactly in the jaw. Why not? That's because large nerves run from the spinal column to the head area, with many branches extending into the face, neck and shoulders. When swelling and inflammation compresses any of these nerve branches, pain is felt at that location. The swelling and inflammation originates with the jaw joint and its muscles, and can spread, affecting different nerve branches in different people.

The role of neuromuscular dentistry

A neuromuscular dentist is one trained in treating not just gums and teeth, but also the jaw joint and its components: muscles, nerves, ligaments and blood vessels. Dr. Joseph Henry is a neuromuscular dentist in Los Angeles. Often, by the time people arrive at his office for help with their painful symptoms, they have visited a series of doctors in a fruitless search for pain relief.

"Too many people think their TMJ symptoms are incurable, but that's not true," says Dr. Henry. "It's possible to eliminate all TMJ symptoms with the technology now used by neuromuscular dentists. When the symptoms have a dental cause, it's a dentist who can successfully treat them and relieve the pain."

TMJ treatment

Treatment begins with neuromuscular testing. The root of the problem is misalignment in the jaw joint - a misaligned bite. So your jaw movements and positions will be tested, recorded, and measured. If the jaw is closing such that the lower teeth are colliding with parts of the upper teeth, this too will be examined. The neuromuscular dentist will focus on the relationship between jaw movement and teeth position to discover what is preventing your jaw from being relaxed.

Once the dentist finds your natural relaxed jaw position, further treatment is then planned. It will be different for each person. It might involve a special tray to be worn for a few months, to teach your jaw muscles some new movements. It might require some repositioning of teeth, or reshaping.

You don't have to live with those painful symptoms. Modern dentistry is a far cry from what our grandparents knew. Dental technology these days has made dental procedures much faster and easier, it has created more ways to treat dental problems, and made everything increasingly pain-free.