Explanation
The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)is like a sliding hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull in front of each ear. The TMJ moves your jaw so you can talk, chew, and yawn.
Problems with your jaw and the muscles in your face that control it are known as Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD). It might affect one or both sides of your face.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include:
- Pain or tenderness in your face, jaw, neck and shoulders, and in or around the ear when you chew, speak, or open your mouth
- Problems when you try to open your mouth wide
- Jaws that get “stuck” or “lock” in the open- or closed-mouth position
- Clicking, popping, or grating sounds in the jaw joint when you open or close your mouth or chew.
- A tired feeling in your face
- Trouble chewing or a sudden uncomfortable bite — as if the upper and lower teeth are not fitting together properly
- Swelling on the side of your face
You may also have toothaches, headaches, neck aches, dizziness, earaches, hearing problems, upper shoulder pain, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Causes
The exact cause of a person’s TMJ disorder is often difficult to determine. Your pain may be due to a combination of factors, such as genetics, arthritis or jaw injury.
A few additional causes of jaw pain might include:
- Grinding or clenching your teeth, which puts a lot of pressure on the joint
- Movement of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket of the joint
- Arthritis in the joint
- Stress, which can cause you to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth
- Physical trauma
Some people who have jaw pain also tend to clench or grind their teeth. Accompanying problems with the teeth, nerves, abscesses, infections or damage to the disc in the TMJ may cause additional pain.
Treatment
Lots of people with TMJ disorders have night guards, a mouthpiece that fits over your upper and lower teeth so they don’t touch. The night guard lessens the effects of clenching or grinding and corrects your bite.
If all serious conditions have been ruled out, but pain persists, intraoral work by Body Therapeutics may be helpful. An NMT approach includes using the index finger to reach muscles close to the molars and the TMJ, and treating all muscles related to the face, neck and jaw. The result can be further alleviation of associated pain.