Most people open and close their mouths all the time without much awareness. They bite sandwiches or apples, chew, yawn, sing, or laugh all without a second thought. All that changes when you have TMJ disorder.
With TMJ disorder, using your jaw is a task that sometimes takes all your attention. Your jaw can get stuck open or closed, pop and crack, and hurt. Sometimes a lot. And it can make just getting through the day difficult and frustrating.
Symptoms include:
- Headaches or migraines
- Clicking, popping, and cracking in your jaw
- Stiffness or soreness in the neck, shoulders, and back
- Facial pain
- Jaw pain
- Tingling or numbness in the fingers or arms
- Sensitive teeth or loose teeth
- Dizziness
- Ear congestion and pain
- Ringing in the ears
- Limited mouth opening
- Depression
- Insomnia
What Exactly IS TMJ?
Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the hinge that connects your jaw and your skull. It is a very intricate mechanism comprised of a joint capsule, the articular disc, mandibular condyles, the temporal bone, ligaments, and muscles. From birth, this joint allows us to move our mouths to cry, nurse, smile – everything! We take it completely for granted, yet when something goes wrong in this complex and delicate mechanism, it is difficult to ignore.
While it is difficult to determine exactly what causes TMJ disorder, there are some things that can contribute, impact, trigger, or worsen TMJ disorder such as:
- Missing or poorly aligned teeth
- Jaw injuries
- Arthritis
- Postural issues
- Stress
- Clenching and grinding
The doctors at Woodlands Dental Group would like to help you find relief from TMJ disorder so you can get back to enjoying life.
