TMJ Disorders

Do you experience constant clicking, locking, and popping of your jaw? How about painful chewing, headache, earache, or discomfort around your temple area? If your answer is yes to these questions – you might be suffering from TMJ disorders.
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TMJ or temporomandibular joint attaches your jawbone (mandible) to your skull (temporal bone). This joint is located on each side of your jaw just right in front of your ears. TMJ disorders are a pain, literally! TMJ can cause pain, particularly, the muscles that control your jaw movement.

It is difficult to distinguish what may have caused a person to suffer from TMJ disorders. There are several factors at play such as genetics, arthritis, stress, or even jaw injury. Underlying medical conditions like certain connective tissue diseases could also account for this disorder. Habitual clenching or grinding could also be blamed for this, but not everyone who clenches and grinds their teeth develop such disorders.
Cartilage and small shock-absorbing disks surround the parts of the bones that interact in the joint. Their purpose is to keep the movement as smooth as possible. Painful TMJ can occur if:

• The little disk gets worn down or misaligned

• Inflammation impairs the cartilage

• Sudden, sharp, or heavy impact damages the joint

Nevertheless, what causes TMJ disorders in most cases are uncertain.

Your doctor or dentist may discuss your symptoms and examine your jaw before officially diagnosing you with TMJ disorders. Your medical care providers will most likely listen, feel, and observe the range of motion of your jaw when you open and close your mouth. They may also apply pressure on various areas around your jaw to identify sites of pain and discomfort. X-Rays & CT/MRI scans could also help to properly diagnose TMJ disorders by providing detailed images and revealing problems pertaining to the joint’s disks or surrounding soft tissue.

Painful symptoms of TMJ disorders may go away on their own, however, if symptoms persist please see a doctor. You may take over-the-counter pain medications but if these are not enough your doctor can prescribe you stronger pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, low dose tricyclic antidepressants, or muscle relaxants to ease discomfort.

• Mouth Guards: although it is not well-understood why wearing a soft or firm device inserted over your teeth soothes jaw pain, in most cases it works!

• Physical Therapy: certain exercises will stretch and strengthen jaw muscles

• Arthrocentesis: small needles are used to irrigate debris and inflammatory by-products

• Injections: corticosteroid injections help relieve pain

• TMJ Treatment or TMJ arthroscopic surgery (a.k.a. keyhole surgery): a small thin tube is placed into the joint space to either remove scar tissue, reshape parts of the jawbone, reposition the disc or tighten the joint to limit it from moving

• Modified condylotomy: addresses the jawbone instead of the joint; best suited if patients experience jaw locking

• Open-joint surgery: if TMJ symptoms are caused by structural problems; the most sophisticated surgical treatment for TMJ disorders but involves many risks compared to other treatments. Patients must carefully discuss pros and cons with dentists/doctors.

• Acupuncture: hair-thin needles pinned on specific locations of the body

• Relaxation Techniques: consciously taking a deep breath in and out can help relax tense muscles

• Eat softer foods and make sure you cut your food into small pieces. Avoid chewy foods.

• Massage the area in pain. (Ask your medical care providers about the best home exercises for your jaw).

• Use an ice pack or heat-pack to ease the pain.

• Book an appointment with our Calgary Dentists for your TMJ Treatment! Clicking, popping, and locking should be for your dance moves, not your jaw. ? Keep scrolling this page to request an appointment, now. We will see you soon!