TMJ is short for temporomandibular joint. This is the joint and associated muscles that control movement of your lower jaw during processes such as eating and talking. Sometimes pain is reported in the immediate joint area itself or it can also inflict the muscles of the face, head and neck. TMJ pain can range from an occasional click or pop of the joint to debilitating headaches, neck pain and locking of the jaw.
Symptoms of TMJ jaw pain may include:
- Headaches or migraines
- Neck, shoulder or back pain
- Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the joint
- Limited movement or locking of the jaw
- Pain or general soreness around the jaw joints
- General facial pain
- Difficulties chewing or swallowing
- Unexplained wear or fracture of teeth
- Mobility of teeth
- Tinnitus or ringing in the ears
- Frequent earaches or congestion
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Numbness/tingling in the finger tips
What causes TMJ jaw pain?
TMJ jaw pain can be a result of several factors including your overall health, stress in your life, etc. However, one of the leading causes is an improper bite, or in other words crooked and improperly positioned teeth. Every time you chew food or even speak, your upper and lower teeth come into contact with each other.
If your teeth are crooked and not in a proper position, as you bite together your jaw joint and muscles will be also forced into an improper or unbalanced position. Often, this leads to pressure on one joint and stretching of the opposite joint. Your jaw joints and chewing muscles can only cope with an unbalanced bite for so long, eventually the ligaments and surrounding muscles of the joint become inflamed, leading to pain or any of the other symptoms listed above.
How does an Orthodontist treat TMJ jaw pain?
Like any other joint or muscle in your body that is sore, you need to give your jaw joints and facial muscles a break. But this can be difficult, as both the joint and muscles are used on a constant basis for speech and eating. The solution is a ‘jaw-relaxing-appliance,’ also known as a biteplane or night guard.
A jaw-relaxing-appliance is a very thin/clear appliance that snaps over your lower teeth. We design the appliance to remove any interferences from your crooked teeth that have been guiding your bite into an unbalanced position. In other words, when your teeth close on the appliance, they will touch the plastic surface evenly and all at the same time. This allows the jaw joints to remain centered in a healthy position, alleviating unbalanced bite forces that lead to inflammation and pain.
Sometimes a jaw-relaxing-appliance is all patients with TMJ jaw pain require. However, if a patient has a very poor bite to start with, every time they take a significant break from wearing the appliance, their poor bite re-introduces unduly forces on the joints and surrounding facial muscles and their symptoms reappear. Therefore, in some patients, it is advantageous to pursue permanent correction of a poor bite with orthodontic treatment, once it has been established that a jaw-relaxing-appliance has been effective in reducing their symptoms.
Similar to any other joint problem in the body, such as a bad knee or back, no one treatment may resolve TMJ jaw pain completely. Treatment can often involve a team approach, including other health professionals, such as physiotherapist, oral surgeon, and psychologist – depending on the severity and chronic nature of your symptoms.
If TMJ jaw pain is left untreated, it can lead to permanent damage and chronic pain. As with other chronic pain conditions, TMJ jaw pain can lead to serious disorders such as depression and anxiety; ultimately, reducing the overall quality of your life. Therefore, if you are currently experiencing any kind of jaw pain, it is in your best interest to see us sooner than later for an examination, so a regimen of prevention can be undertaken to hopefully prevent or decrease the risk of further damage to your jaw joints or muscles.
Contact us today for an examination, so that we may properly diagnose your TMJ jaw pain and begin a course of treatment to improve/restore the proper function of your jaw joints and muscles.
Please note, that there is no one ‘cure’ for TMJ jaw pain. However, treatment and diligent adherence to forms of prevention may typically result in a significant improvement.
