TMJ Disorders
What is TMJ disorders ?
Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ disorders) are problems that affect the chewing muscles and joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull.
These disorders can cause:
- Tenderness at the joint
- Facial pain
- Difficulty moving the joint
How are TMJ disorders treated?
TMJ disorders can have a variety of causes, there are also a variety of ways to treat them.
Physicians will typically advise starting with home treatments first. This is because many of the more complicated treatments to prove their efficiency.
Symptoms of TMJ
- Pain that can be felt in the face or neck.
- Stiffness in the muscles of the jaw
- Limited movement of the jaw
- Locking of the jaw
- Clicking or popping sound from the TMJ site
- Dental issues, such as the wearing down of teeth
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
- Headaches
- Shift in the jaw, changing the way that the upper and lower teeth align (called malocclusion)
Symptoms may show up on just one side of the face or both.