Newton TMJ/TMD Treatment
What is TMJ / TMD?
TMJ / TMD, or temporomandibular joint disorder, is a term used to describe a group of symptoms including headaches; facial pain; jaw pain; sore, chipped, broken, or worn teeth, clicking or popping in the jaw, and limited jaw movement. In many cases people suffering from TMJ / TMD report chronic pain in the jaw, teeth, face, head, neck, shoulders, or back, or any combination of these areas. Snoring, grinding of teeth, frequent ear infections and restricted airway are other problems associated with TMJ / TMD. This group of symptoms is also referred to as MPD (myofascial pain dysfunction) and craniomandibular dysfunction.
Who Suffers From TMJ
The majority of people suffer to a greater or lesser degree from TMJ. Although women report more pain from TMJ, TMJ in men causes as much or more damage to the teeth, gums, bones and joints. Children are especially sensitive to TMJ and usually show early signs with ear infections, leaning their head on an arm, lip, cheek, or finger biting, sucking or chewing, headaches, snoring, grinding of their teeth at night, and significant chewing of gum.
What is TMJ
TMJ stands for “temporomandibular joint,” or jaw joint. These are the small joints in front of each ear that attach the lower jaw to the skull, and happen to be the most complex joints in the entire body. The area of the face where the TMJ is located is an intricate network of bones, including the teeth, muscles, and nerves. Because of this, TMJ (dysfunction) conditions affect many areas of the body, from the top of the head in migraine-like headaches to numbness or tingling in the arms and pain in the neck or shoulders.
What Causes TMJ
In most cases, TMJ disorders stem from a condition called malocclusion, which means having a “bad bite” or accidents and trauma. Malocclusion means that your upper and lower teeth do not close together in the correct way—they are misaligned. This includes underbites and overbites. When the teeth are misaligned, they cannot provide the support the muscles in the face need for chewing and swallowing. These muscles are then forced into a strained position, resulting in pain throughout the face, head, arms, shoulders, and back. Although a person may have beautiful teeth or had orthodontics to line the teeth up for aesthetic reasons, the muscles and joints may not be comfortable.
How Can TMJ Be Treated
The dentist works to realign the bite and restore the teeth and thus the jaw and joints to their optimal position. Once the bite is realigned and the jaw is in place, pain that resulted from the imbalance disappears. Often times a nightguard will be prescribed. It has been proven safe and efficacious in the reduction of medically diagnosed migraine and tension-type headache. While dentistry is not the usual specialty consulted to diagnose migraine or tension-type headache (a complete medical work-up is required to rule-out any potential contributing conditions), dentists, with their vast knowledge of head and neck anatomy and understanding of the parafunctional activity of bruxism (grinding), can be of great benefit in the reduction of migraine and tension-type headache suffering.
Contact our Newton, MA cosmetic dental office today for more information or to schedule your appointment.
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