Do you frequently experience pain and tenderness in your jaw joint and surrounding jaw muscles, preventing you from opening your mouth to eat or speak fully?
If so, you may have a disorder of the temporomandibular joint that is causing your jaw pain. Suffering from TMJ disorder can be debilitating to the quality of your life and should be examined by a dental professional as soon as possible.
In this article, you will learn what TMD is, how it can be diagnosed, and the treatment options you are offered to improve your condition. Read on to know more.
What is TMJ disorder?
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are a group of more than 30 conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint), and the surrounding muscles.
You have two temporomandibular joints (TMJ), one on either side of your face. You can feel them by placing your fingers in front of your ears and opening your mouth. The TMJs connect your lower jaw to your skull and facilitate chewing and speaking.
Conditions of the TMJ may result in severe issues other than simply pain and discomfort like referred headaches and difficulty opening and closing your mouth.
Statistically, 5 to 12 percent of the general adult population are TMJ patients, suffering from TMJ pain. People are most likely to develop TMD between the ages of 20 and 40. The predisposition for women is also twice as high as that of men.
Types of TMD
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research states that there are three main types of TMJ disorders, namely:
- Disorders of the joints, including disc disorders.
- Disorders of the masticatory (chewing) muscles.
- Headache associated with TMD.
Common symptoms of TMJ pain
The pain caused by TMJ disorders can vary from person to person. Some of the common symptoms of TMJ disorders include:
- Pain in the lower jaw
- Orofacial pain
- Shoulder or neck pain
- Stiffness in the jaw
- Difficulty opening and closing your mouth
- Popping or clicking of the jaw
- Headaches and migraines
- Pain in the ear
- Toothaches, especially in the lower teeth
- Ringing sounds in the ear (tinnitus)
- Change in jaw alignment (malocclusion)
What can cause TMJ disorder?
People can develop TMJ disorder in a few different ways. Some aggravating or risk factors associated with TMJ disorders can be:
- Jaw injury such as a dislocated or fractured jaw
- Uncontrolled teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism)
- Arthritis in the lower jaw
- Malocclusion (when your upper and lower teeth do not fit together properly)
- Stress that causes jaw-clenching
How do general dentists diagnose TMD?
Dentists can diagnose TMJ disorder during a dental checkup. The doctor may:
- Observe your range of jaw movement when you open or close your mouth
- Palpate your face and jaw to look for areas of discomfort
- Check if there are popping or clicking sounds when opening your mouth
The dentist may recommend imaging tests to further assess your jaw joints and the hard and soft structures around them. These can include dental X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, or TMJ arthroscopy.
Doing these tests can help the dentist in considering TMJ treatment that is best suited for you.
How to treat TMJ disorder?
The treatment can vary depending on the form of TMJ disorder and the severity of pain.
Pharmacological management
For patients who are experiencing pain, the doctor or dentist may prescribe over-the-counter and prescription medications like:
- Pain relievers like acetaminophen
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen
- Muscle relaxants, for people with bruxism
- Antidepressants
Non-invasive treatment
If medications do not help relieve the pain, other nonsurgical methods of management can include:
- Custom dental appliances like oral splints and mouthguards help prevent the detrimental effects of grinding and clenching.
- Physical therapy like TMJ exercises to strengthen your jaw muscles.
- Trigger point injections involve injecting corticosteroids or botulinum toxin into painful muscles that are causing stiffness.
- Ultrasound therapy can deliver heat to deep muscle tissues and promote relaxation.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) makes use of low-level electrical currents that help in relaxing your jaw muscles.
- Behavioral changes including various relaxation techniques, posture maintenance, and chewing on ice can improve jaw and facial pain.
Surgical treatment
In cases when noninvasive therapies and medications do not work, the TMJ specialist may recommend surgery.
- Arthrocentesis, where they use a needle to remove fluid from your joint.
- TMJ arthroscopy, where they make a small incision in front of the ear and insert a camera and light to remove scar tissue and reposition the disc of your joint.
- Open-joint surgery, where they make a large incision to access your jaw joint directly.
Conclusion
The temporomandibular joints on either side of your face help you perform jaw functions and movements like eating and speaking. Temporomandibular disorders can be caused due to people clenching or grinding their teeth or arthritis.
It’s best for patients who have been diagnosed and experiencing severe TMJ disorder or TMJ dysfunction to seek medical assistance, ranging from oral splints or mouth guards to surgery or other procedures to correct their deformity.
Contact your family doctor to get more information about it.
