Categories: Dental HealthPatient Education

Is Your TMJ Talking Too Much?

TMJ stands for temporomanibular joints. Your temporomandibular joints are the jaw joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull. Because of these joints you can open your mouth to talk, chew, yawn, eat, and drink. Put your fingers in front of each ear and open your mouth. Can you feel your jaw joint? Temporomanibular joint disorders can cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and surrounding muscles. An estimated 10 million Americans suffer with the condition, and according to studies the condition is more common in women. Read on to find out if your TMJ is talking too much.

TMJ

We all know people that talk a lot, but you really can’t talk too much, at least not enough to harm your TMJs. Often there is no apparent cause of a jaw joint disorder, but the following can contribute:

Jaw disc dislocation
Accident or trauma
Arthritis in the TMJ
Bruxism: Chronic grinding and clenching of the teeth which puts excessive pressure on the jaw joints
Stress that triggers bruxing and tightening of the facial and jaw muscles

Symptoms

Symptom of TMJ disorders include:

Pain in the jaw or surrounding facial muscles
Morning headaches or frequent migraines
Stiffness of the jaw and jaw muscles, limited jaw movement, or locking jaw
Pain radiating from the jaw to the neck
Popping, clicking jaw
Ringing in the ears
Ear pain
Pain that radiates to or from the jaw, face, or neck
Grating jaw joint

Treatment

Although TMJ can be difficult to diagnose, treatments are commonly conservative. They include:

Jaw stretches
Relaxation techniques
Hot and cold therapies
Nightime dental mouth guards

However, if excessive wear or other damage has been done to the teeth you may need restorative treatments such as dental bonding or veneers.

ABOUT YOUR GARY, IN DENTIST:

As a native of northwest Indiana, Nicholas Cain, DDS, is dedicated to providing excellent general, preventive, and family dentistry services to the community that raised him. To schedule your appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.

Dr. Cain