VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. — One of the common complaints I encounter as a dentist is “TMJ.” Patients usually mean that their jaw hurts.

Literally, TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joint, the joint that allows the jaw to move. The sometimes painful symptoms associated with the jaws are called “TMDs,” or temporomandibular disorders, and can be the result of many different things.

The TMJ is considered the most complex joint in the body. It hinges when you open your mouth, slides when you open really wide, and rotates when you move your jaw side to side.

Your lower jaw has a ball on the end called the condyle. This fits into an indentation on your upper jaw called the articular fossa. These two bony areas are connected by a series of ligaments making your jaw, in essence, a ball bearing. If anything goes wrong with the way all these pieces fit together, you can have jaw pain.

More often than not, jaw pain is not related to your TMJ. The number one cause of jaw pain is the muscles that hold your jaws together and allow you to chew. The pain is the result of overusing these muscles through grinding or clenching your teeth.

Fortunately, this is usually routine to treat. Learning how to relax those muscles, stretching them, applying hot compresses and learning the stressors that lead to overworking them can make the pain go away.

The rate of recurrence is very high though, so many people with chronic jaw pain end up doing these exercises forever — the good news is it can take as little as 10 minutes a day.

Another common reason for jaw pain is sinus problems. Anyone who has ever had a sinus infection knows that it makes your teeth and jaw hurt. The good news is when your sinuses clear up, your pain goes away.

This is particularly common in areas like Oklahoma where allergens are plentiful. The best way to treat this cause of jaw pain is to see your doctor and take whatever medications they give you exactly as prescribed.

Occasionally, jaw pain is related to the TMJ, and this is when treatment gets more complicated. The jaw is subject to all the same problems as any other joint — arthritis, fatigue and bone loss to name a few.

The most important aspect of these problems is accurate diagnosis. Dentists have multiple treatments to aid in these cases where the TMJ itself is the problem. Some of these include splint therapy — wearing a custom guard to limit the forces on your TMJ.

Medications to reduce the rate at which the TMJ breaks down and surgical options are available.

The best thing you can do to ensure your TMJs stay healthy is seek treatment early if you think you might have a problem.

Here are a few keys to remember:
· Jaw noise isn’t necessarily a problem — see your dentist if the noise changes or has pain associated with it.
· The best treatment is early and frequent intervention — most of the time without medication so don’t hesitate getting checked out.
· The right person to see is a dentist and expect to get some X-rays taken.

Jaw pain can also be caused by chronic headaches, tooth problems, nerve pain and even a heart attack. If you think you may be suffering from TMD, contact your dentist.

Technorati Tags: TMJ, TMJ Causes, tmj cure, tmj disease, TMJ Disorder, TMJ Joint, TMJ Symptoms, what is a TMJ, What Is TMJ, what is TMJ disorder, what is TMJ of the jaw, what is TMJ pain, what is TMJ syndrome

Constant headaches, or even migraines. A persistent pain in the jaw area. Pain that goes all the way to your neck and around your shoulders. A ringing in your ears. Incredible pain when you open your mouth, accompanied by clicking, popping, or grinding sounds when you open and close your mouth. Any of these symptoms sound familiar to you? Then you most likely have TMJ disorder. TMJ disorder is something we hear about a lot, but don’t even recognize even if we are already suffering from the symptoms.

First of all, what is TMJ disorder? This is a condition affecting the temporomandibular joint, which is located on either side of the jaw. This joint plays an important role, as it works to keep your mouth and jaw operating smoothly. When the hinge is thrown out of alignment, the bones of the joint tend to scrape against one another, contributing to your TMJ pain.

Most of TMJ symptoms tend to be comparatively mild in intensity, but it would be best to address them to ease your pain and work towards a complete solution to your TMJ disorder as well. The first thing you do is figure out how to manage your pain. A good first step would be to apply warm compress to the painful areas, and getting a prescription for painkillers to help the pain go down. You should also carefully monitor how you use your mouth, from your chewing, eating, and biting. Avoid eating tough or overly chewy foods so you don’t irritate your jaw bones further. Take note of your stress levels as well. It has been shown that the more stressed people are, the more they tend to clench their teeth together, creating pressure on the jaws. As a safety precaution, you should also wear protective mouth guards while you sleep, so ensure that you don’t grind your teeth.

Of course, you should also head straight for your primary care physician and let him or her know about your condition. Your physician may be able to recommend an oral surgeon or an ENT who can diagnose you more accurately and prescribe the appropriate treatment. You may need to get an X-ray of your jaws or a bone scan. You may also need to undergo laboratory tests that will determine if you are suffering from arthritis.

TMJ disorder is painful and inconvenient, but when you learn to spot the symptoms, you are well on your way to eliminating the pain. Have the discipline to give your mouth and jaws a rest, and allow your doctor and the prescribed treatments to work with you in finding the right TMJ cure.

Technorati Tags: symptoms of TMJ disorder, temporomandibular joint disorder TMJ, TMJ, TMJ Causes, TMJ Disorder, TMJ disorder symptoms, TMJ disorder treatment, TMJ disorders, TMJ jaw disorder, TMJ Symptoms, tmj syndrome, treatment of TMJ disorder, What Is TMJ

TMJ Causes

The causes of TMJ are not very specific. However, certain factors associated with TMJ disorders are enumerated below:-

• A blow to the jaw
• Arthritis or any other inflammation
• Misalignment of the jaws
• The degeneration of the joints
• Habitual clenching of the teeth while in stress
• Constantly chewing gum
• Improper bite
• Bad posture
• Cancer
• Infections
• Muscle abuse
• Accidents can cause this disorder too.

Stress and anxiety can also cause and aggravate the disorder.

A Few Common TMJ Symptoms

• Mild to severe pain in the facial muscles that can radiate to the neck and shoulders
• Pain while eating, chewing or talking
• Sore jaws, cheeks
• Headaches
• Toothaches
• Difficulty in extending the jaw
• Locked jaw
• Popping/clicking noises
• Ear pain
• Ringing in the ears
• Hearing loss
• Swelling of the affected area
• Biting becoming uncomfortable and uneven as teeth do not fit right.

TMJ Diagnosis And Treatment

You need to consult a physician if you are experiencing any of these TMJ symptoms. The sooner the TMJ treatment is started the better it is. TMJ Dallas is one of the right places to look for expert and qualified physicians who will examine and conduct certain tests before commencing the TMJ treatment plan that goes according to your condition. The physician may ask you for an X-ray or a CT scan or an MRI scan before diagnosing the condition. He shall then commence the appropriate treatment as per your investigation reports.

TMJ treatment may involve surgical or non-surgical procedures as deemed fit. Based on the severity of the disorder, the treatment may involve sessions primarily with the dentist and then perhaps with other specialists such as neurologists, psychiatrists and physiotherapists.

Follow up care after the treatment is just as essential. You need to take extra precautions to ensure that nothing aggravates the situation. Once you have begun with the TMJ treatment, it is essential that you follow the physician’s recommendations carefully.

Technorati Tags: signs and symptoms of TMJ, symptoms of TMJ, TMJ, TMJ Causes, TMJ disorder symptoms, TMJ Relief, TMJ symptom, TMJ Symptoms, TMJ symptoms and treatment, TMJ symptoms treatment, TMJ symptons, TMJ symtoms, TMJ Treatment, what are the symptoms of TMJ

1. Do you have frequent headaches (particularly in the morning)?
2. Do you have trouble opening and closing your jaw either occasionally or frequently
3. Do you have ear aches that occur again and again but the doctor can’t determine why?
4. Do sounds make you hurt or do you consider yourself to have sensitive ears?
5. Are your neck and shoulders tense and painful?
6. Do you fight dizziness?
7. Does your jaw/mouth make a clicking, or popping noise when you open it?
8. Do you clench or grind your teeth?
9. Do you have a ringing or buzzing in your ears?
10. Do you feel chronic fatigue or depression?

If you answered yes to anyone of these questions then it would be wise to seek the opinion of a specialist. TMJ pain can be difficult to diagnose, and so these questions are simply a starting point to getting a diagnosis.

There are 4 basic things that cause TMJ pain and so when trying to decide if you have TMJ these factors are important to consider. A problem with growth and development block the nasal passage. Trauma or an accident can cause it, a common example is whiplash. Another unfortunate example of trauma would be that of an especially rough dental experience or dental work that didn’t fit your mouth properly.

Other causes are habits: nail biting, pencil or pen chewing, tooth grinding or clenching the jaw can all lead to TMJ. These habits may seem minimal but they are using the jaw improperly and therefore lead to stain on the jaw joint. Finally a common cause is stress. Mental and emotional stresses are particularly hard on the jaw. Thoughts and feelings seemed to be buried in the jaw. Negative or depressed thoughts seem to lead us to clench and tense up our jaws, which is really hard on the joint.

There are TMJ treatments and exercises your doctor can discuss with you, and there are some guides that can prove very useful. The key is to take action on your pain; if you don’t do anything then your condition will worsen. TMJ in some cases can be avoided and in some cases it cannot, but in all cases it can be treated.

Technorati Tags: TMJ, TMJ Causes, tmj disease, TMJ Disorder, TMJ Pain, TMJ Symptoms, tmj syndrome, what is a TMJ, What Is TMJ, what is TMJ disorder, what is TMJ of the jaw, what is TMJ pain, what is TMJ syndrome