ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS?
- Difficulty Opening and Closing Your Mouth
- Pain In Healthy Teeth
- Sinus Pain
- Sore Jaw In The Morning
- Pressure Behind the Ears
- Hearing Loss
- Teeth Grinding
- Locked Jaw
- Teeth Clenching
- Clicking Sounds When Opening or Closing Your Mouth
- Unexplained Pressure Behind Your Eyes
- Unexplained Headaches
These may be symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Symptoms of TMJ or TMDs (“temporomandibular disorders” is a collective term embracing a number of clinical problems that involve the masticatory musculature, the temporomandibular joint and associated structures, or both.) occur in approximately 6 to 12 percent of the adult population or approximately ten million individuals in the United States.
Unlike other joints in the body, the TMJ is different because it is composed of fibrocartilage. The TMJ is able to withstand greater sheer force than any other joint and moves and functions in a very complex way. When things go wrong, the consequences are challenging. It is estimated that 17,800,000 workdays are lost each year for every 100,000,000 full-time working adults in the United States due to disabling TMDs.
TMDs are nine times more prevalent in women than in men. The largest proportion of women with TMDs is between eighteen and forty-five years of age.
Due to a lack of understanding as to cause of the disease and the lack of definitive diagnostic or therapeutic approaches, patients often have to tolerate symptoms, including debilitating pain and an impact on quality of life over extended periods of time.
What causes TMJ Pain?
Improper fitting together of the teeth and jaw joints
Grinding or clinching of teeth, (bruxism)
Trauma such as head injury or whiplash
Female Hormones
autoimmune diseases, infection, arthritis
dental procedures, or inserting a breathing tube before surgery
Most dentists and physicians have been inclined to believe that the single most important etiological factor for degenerative TMJ disease is altered mechanical loading that surpasses the adaptive capacity of the joint.
Traumatic injuries are also an important etiological factor in the development of TMJ disorders.
What do you do for TMJ relief?
