What is TMJ?
TMJ is usually referred by patients as TMJ pain in particular pain to the temporomandibular joints that control the jaw movements. The joints are complex as they not only move up and down, they move side by side and translate forward.
TMJ dysfunction or TMJ disorder refers to pain or discomfort or clicks to the joint complex that relates to the muscles, ligaments, discs, and relationships of your teeth that are not in synchronization. As the jaw, muscles, and teeth work together, when the balance is off, pain and inflammation will set in.
How do the Teeth, Jaw, and TMJ relate together?
The relationship of the teeth is thrown off balance with misalignment, orthodontic treatment, accidents, crowding can throw the jaw during function when the jaw first close, on chewing, and side by side, or locked in a certain position.
The jaw balance will be thrown off and each time its thrown off, the joint complex is strained and becomes inflamed. This inflammation, if not treated, will become chronic degeneration of the joint and worse case, there will be damages to the middle ear, causing deafness.
Certain conditions like arthritis, hormonal changes, genetics, teeth clenching, teeth grinding (bruxism) can exacerbate the condition further.
WHAT IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF TMJ?
There are many factors contributing to TMJ dysfunction. These include:
Shock-absorbing disk of the temporomandibular joint wearing out or sliding away from its proper alignment.
Arthritis causing joint cartilage damage.
Jaw injury.
Chronic or long-term bruxism (grinding/clenching) of teeth.
Connective tissue diseases cause problems that may affect the temporomandibular joint.
TMJ Symptoms
TMJ can be directly related to the joint complex where there is degeneration of the joint, inflammation to the jaw joints, headaches, migraines, tight muscles, toothache, locked jaw, clicking jaw, jaw popping, pain to the shoulders, neck, head. Sometimes referred pain to the jaw relates to other issues from other parts of the body such as heart issues, stomach issues. For an experienced dentist, these differential diagnoses can be determined.
iS TMJ A SERIOUS PROBLEM?
If TMJ dysfunction is left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, worse cases from acute pain to chronic and hard-to-treat one.
Some arising issues can include:
Bite discomfort
Loss of appetite
Tooth erosion (due to bruxism)
Long-term sleep apnea
Long-term insomnia
Depression
Anxiety
iS TMJ a medical or dental problem?
TMJ disorder can both be a medical and dental problem. There are also many other medical conditions which cause TMJ disorder, such as arthritis, tongue tie or hereditary issues which affect the jaw structure. TMJ disorder can be a dental issue by nature when it is caused by a person’s unaligned teeth.
TMJ Treatment
Treatment for TMJ HEADACHE AND MIGRAINES ARE MOST EFFECTIVE WITH BOTOX TREATMENT AND PHYSICAL THERAPY AS WELL AS PHYSICAL SELF REGULATION. There are other various ways for the treatment of TMJ pain/ TMD
TMJ-BOTOX treatment is commonly used to relax the tight muscles attributed by bruxism, teeth clenching.
Arthrocentesis is flushing out the joint complex to allow the area to heal.
Physiotherapy, releasing the muscle cramps and rebalancing your body's posture. The body's posture contributes to jaw pain when held in an incorrect position. Some occupation which has certain posture held in one position for long periods ie sitting in front of a computer will cause muscle cramps and these cramps translate to referred pain to the jaw. Hence working with complementary therapists such as masseuse, acupuncture, osteopath, chiropractor, the physiotherapist will assist in releasing those tight muscles.
Splint therapy by de-programming the incorrect bite and realignment of teeth or rebuilding of the teeth and bite correction with composite resins and crowns will assist in the alignment of the jaw.
Medication for pain management and assisting in sleeplessness.
TMJ headache, migraine and treatment
Treatment of TMJ
TMJ migraine can be CHRONIC AND EPISODIC, Recurrent headaches lasting 4-72 hours, One-sided, pulsating, moderate-to-severe pain and decreased ability to function in everyday situations.
SOME OF THE ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS ARE ALSO PRESENT DURING AN ATTACK such as Nausea and/or vomiting, Sensitivity to light, Sensitivity to sound. Other symptoms may include sweating or cold hands, diarrhea, pale skin color, and scalp tenderness or pain from touch or pressure (such as a necklace touching the skin, hair brushing, or shaving). This kind of pain is called allodynia.
SHOULD I SEE A DOCTOR FOR TMJ?
TMJ pain requires treatment from a medical specialist - a dentist. Dentists don’t just treat your teeth, they are specialists who are well-trained to cater to the holistic aspect of your well-being, particularly in the anatomy of the neck, face, jaw, and diagnosing dysfunction in the bite.
How doES A DENTIST CHECK FOR TMJ?
When you arrive at the clinic, the dentist first examines your jaw when you close and open your mouth to identify limitations of jaw movement. The dentist will then palpate (lightly pressing on) areas surrounding your jaw to identify pain points and possibly jaw dislocation.
After the examination, the patient will then be guided under an X-Ray scan. The consultation generally lasts about 30 minutes to one hour depending on the concerns and severity of the condition.
At Pain Free Dentist Sydney, we are proud to take a unique approach to treating TMJ conditions. If consent, Dr. Lisa Chong will temporarily relieve the pain around your face and start a splint therapy treatment. This will involve the use of a “splint” - an acrylic-based mouthguard that would realign your jaw to slide into the right place.
The success of the treatment is heavily dependent on the commitment of the patient to wear the splint for a long duration of time.
TMJ exercises
TMJ exercises may alleviate pain for some but not others as individual cases vary greatly. Exercises should be consulted by experts to target certain muscles and retrain the jaw to move correctly without pain.
Have TMJ and need help?
Call us now at 02 9558 8988 or email us at info@painfreedentistsydney.com.au to organise a consultation today!