There are any number of reasons why your jaws can cause temporary or long-term discomfort. However, one of the most frequently diagnosed sources of jaw pain involves the temporomandibular joint, commonly referred to as TMJ. If you have TMJ issues the pain you’re experiencing may come from what’s known as temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD for short, and you may have it.
What’s the Difference Between TMJ and TMD?
Most of the time people refer to both the joint and the subsequent disorder simply as TMJ, which isn’t exactly correct. There’s a small joint connecting both the upper and lower jaw to the skull. You have one joint on each side of the jaw and it’s called the temporomandibular joint – TMJ. The actual condition that deals with the different ways discomfort associated with the joint presents itself is called temporomandibular joint disorder – TMD. So, TMJ is a joint, and TMD references effects that result from negative influences on that joint.
What Causes TMJ Pain?
Any damage or stress to the joint (TMJ) can cause pain. Grinding or clenching your teeth, misalignment of the jaw, injuries to your jaw or teeth, and even chewing gum or certain food items can all create damage or stress to the joint (TMJ). When our arm or leg muscles hurt, we can usually trace it back to a good workout at the gym or a restful day of gardening in the yard. However, it’s far more difficult to pinpoint the cause of pain produced from an adverse impact to a joint (TMJ) simply because of the many ways in which symptoms manifest themselves. In other words, so many different parts of the body can hurt that it’s hard to know what the underlying source of the pain is.
The vast majority of issues associated with TMJ occur due to difficulties related to one’s bite and the accompanying muscles. The situation is usually remedied, and the pain alleviated, by relaxing the involved muscles and properly realigning the bite.
What Are the Symptoms of TMD?
Once the joint (TMJ) has been stressed or damaged, it’s at this point that you may begin to experience frequent neck, shoulder, and face pain along with toothaches, migraines, chronic earaches, and headaches; all of which are symptoms of TMD. Because the pain often radiates, it can prove challenging to determine the exact source of the discomfort. Of course, these symptoms could also be the result of something completely different.
That’s why it’s vitally important to get a precise diagnosis. Although you may be experiencing some or all of the symptoms outlined, and while TMD is a real possibility, an accurate diagnosis will determine the cause and provide the framework necessary to develop an effective treatment plan.
Can TMJ or TMD Affect My Overall Health?
It’s highly likely that left untreated, TMJ will create systemic problems by interfering with other systems in your body. It’s no mystery, chronic or long-term pain has deleterious effects on our mental and physical state. Such pain can influence our dietary health, mood, intellectual capabilities, sleep patterns, relationships, work productivity, social life…it touches every aspect of our lives.
Consider sleep deprivation – the frequent inability to sleep deeply and restfully – as a fundamental problem that results from long-term pain caused by TMJ damage or stress. A continued lack of restful sleep can result in heart problems, heart attacks, diabetes, respiratory issues, weight gain, stroke, cognitive dysfunction, malnutrition, tooth decay, gum disease, balance complications, weaken your immune system, and yes, even decrease your sex drive.
Fortunately, thanks to advancements in the field of dentistry, patients suffering from TMD today have a range of proven options available to help them solve TMJ problems and relieve their pain.
Ways to Treat TMJ Problems
- Oral Appliances: are perhaps one of the easiest and most effective solutions to deal with TMJ. An oral appliance is simply a mouthguard or, more specifically, a nightguard. As the name infers, a nightguard is a mouthguard that you wear at night while you sleep. It creates a barrier between the upper and lower teeth, making it impossible to grind them against one another. Additionally, it allows the jaws to relax in a stressless, neutral position for as long as you sleep. This neutral position avoids the pressure that’s created when you grind or clench your teeth, thereby, allowing you to sleep more restfully and wake feeling more refreshed with less or no pain.
- Occlusal Adjustments: involves an in-office process to adjust the height of your molars (your back teeth that are used to crush or chew food.) Molars receive a lot of pressure during the chewing process and, if you’re grinding your teeth, your molars are taking the brunt of the punishment. Adjusting your molars can provide a better bite, which subsequently reduces the strain on your jaw. Less jaw pressure then equates to less, little, or no pain.
- Physical Therapy: can be used as a standalone alternative or in conjunction with a post-surgical recovery plan. The primary focus of physical therapy is to help someone suffering from TMJ difficulties learn how to relax and stretch the jaw muscles to relieve tension. In a post-surgical situation, a third focal point is added and that’s to help minimize scar tissue that may result from the corrective procedure.
- Chiropractor: functions similar to that of a physical therapist. While the physical therapist develops ‘daily exercises’ that patients can use to relax and stretch the jaw muscles over time; the chiropractor, with one or more sessions, works to immediately adjust the jaw structure that might be misaligned. In the realignment process, through restoration of proper bite function, the chiropractor subsequently relieves the burden carried by the jaw muscles which, in turn, reduce inflammation and pain.
- Medication: is often prescribed to treat TMJ. Prescriptions primarily fall into three main categories: muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, and steroids. A fourth category relating to prescription antidepressants can also play a role in battling TMJ issues. Over-the-counter options such as Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen are also suitable choices depending on the severity of the inflammation and pain. Regardless of which route you take, the medications are utilized to not only address pain but, more importantly, to resolve the underlying inflammation. By relaxing the muscles, tension is relieved, inflammation subsides, and pain is reduced or eliminated.
- Botox®: has been used with great success for years as a treatment for TMJ/TMD. Typically thought of as a ‘dermal filler,’ Botox® is a gel-like substance that your dentist injects into the soft connecting tissue to relax the jaw muscles. Once the muscles are relaxed the pressure is relieved and the pain subsides. Because the benefits of Botox® last for months it gives the jaw muscles ample time to recover from the unrelenting stress of everyday clenching and grinding.
- Acupuncture: is an extremely beneficial method for treating TMJ conditions. Used to relax the jaw muscles and reduce muscle spasms, acupuncture is very effective at reducing inflammation and pain. Once the muscles are in a state of relaxation, the inflammation is reduced (because the muscles aren’t aggravated.) As the inflammation dissipates – so does the pain.
- Oral Surgery: may be an option if more conservative treatment measures don’t provide successful results. This alternative involves actual surgery performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Three different surgical procedures are available to help correct or cure extreme cases involving TJM/TMD problems, one of which involves a complete joint (TMJ) replacement.
Farragut and Knoxville’s Cosmetic Dentist
As a cosmetic dentist, we have the ability to care for our family and restorative patients on a very comprehensive level. Given that cosmetic dentistry provides complete oral health care with an emphasis on preventive and maintenance measures, corrects oral imperfections, and helps to enhance a patient’s overall facial esthetics, we’re extremely detail-oriented and meticulous regarding the caliber of our work and the care we extend to each and every patient – from the very, very young to the very…very mature.
If there’s anything we can do to help you or your family, whether it’s cosmetic, family, or restorative in nature, please contact us here.
