Chicago Dentist - Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ)

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ or TMD) is associated with stress and involves pain that originates in the jaw or facial muscle. The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is the hinge between the skull and the jaw, the joint that opens and closes the mouth, making it possible for you to chew your food, swallow, speak, or laugh. “True” TMJ can manifest as the breakdown or deterioration of the cartilage in the disc that comprises the joint or bony changes in the joint space or lower jawbone. Frequently, the condition mimics arthritis and may in fact involve arthritis. One early symptom can be jaw-popping, in which opening the mouth, as in a yaw, produces a clicking or popping sound.
Although we don’t often realize it, the temporomandibular joint is one of the most important in the body, required for speaking, gesturing, and chewing. If the joint is injured by incessant tooth grinding, for example it may respond favorably to anti-inflammatory drugs and arthritis medications, but surgery is recommended in advanced cases.
The disorder can result in complaints about difficulty chewing, talking, maintaining balance, hearing, headaches, and neck or back pain. In search of relief, Americans consult a wide range of practitioners, including chiropractors, nutritionists, pain specialists, and psychologists, as well as dentists, orthodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons (surgeons who specialize in the facial bones).
There is much difference of opinion about treatment options among these practitioners. Patients often consult one practitioner after another in search of relief, without satisfaction. The syndrome is often misdiagnosed and unsuccessfully treated. In some cases, orofacial pain can be treated with a combination of heat application, isometric exercises, muscle-relaxing medications, and stress reduction.
The surgical replacement of the joint is complex and should be considered only in the most extreme cases. Today, oral surgeons frequently utilize arthroscopic techniques, which can alleviate a patient’s discomfort. This less invasive operation involves flushing out bone and tissue fragments with a saline solution and can substantially relieve discomfort in about 80 percent of cases, eliminating the need for replacement surgery. The syndrome has received much media attention lately, and is often over diagnosed. In fact, there is rampant disagreement among health care professionals about simply defining TMJ, let alone treating it effectively.
Is it caused by stress? Diet? Muscle problems? Poor posture? Hormones have even been implicated by some medical observers, in part because women of child-bearing age seem to constitute the largest single afflicted group.
“About 40% of Americans have some form of TMD, but only 5 to 10% have a problem that warrants treatment,” Dr. James Fricton, Co-director of the TMD and Orofacial Pain Division at the University of Minnesota, told American Health magazine.

Back to Articles