Tempromandibular Joint Disease

Temporomandibular joint disease is a condition that impacts your jaw joint. This disorder starts at the hinge joint where your jaw joint connects to the temporal bone in the skull and then impacts the surrounding muscles.

Causes

• The cause of TMD is not clear. Many of those who have been diagnosed with TMD share similar backgrounds that include grinding or clenching of teeth, dislocation within the jaw joint, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and stress.

Who Gets TMD?

• Typical TMD sufferers are between the ages of 20 and 40. Women generally suffer from this condition more frequently than men.

Symptoms

• Symptoms include toothaches, headaches, neck aches, dizziness, ear aches, hearing problems, swelling on the affected side of face, teeth that don't fit together properly and limited range of motion. The jaw may become locked.

Diagnosing TMD

• The physician will listen to the jaw for popping and clicking noises, measure the range of motion, examine the bite, and look at how the teeth fit together. Further tests used to diagnose TMD include X-Rays, MRIs and CT scans.

Non-Surgical Treatments

• Treatment options include heat and/or ice, physical therapy, changing diet to include mostly soft foods, medications including NSAIDS and muscle relaxants, dental correction treatments including braces, massage therapy and trigger point injections.

Surgical Treatments

• There are three types of surgical treatments available: arthrocentesis, arthroscopy and open joint surgery.