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No One Needs to Live with the Pain of Temporomandibular Disorder (TMJ)

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMJ) is a disorder of the temporomandibular joint in the lower jaw that connects the jaw to the base of the skull. They are located in the lower front of the ears. The Temporomandibular joint functions are opening and shutting of the mouth, all aspects of eating from chewing to swallowing and speaking. When pain develops in the Temporomandibular joint and one is no longer able to perform the normal functioning movements without pain it is time to seek out our expert Beverly Hills dentistry advice.

It is difficult to give one particular cause to Temporomandibular Disorder but it is obvious that symptoms arise due to problems with the temporomandibular joint and/or the masseter muscle. Problems may present due to injury of the jaw from accidents, heavy blows to the temporomandibular joint, or injury to head and neck muscles. Excessive grinding and/or clenching of teeth are also believed to play a factor in the development of TMJ. Other factors believed to play a role in the development of TMJ are the existence of Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, poor posture of head positioning when doing deskwork, poor diet, poor sleep habits, stress, and structural problems that could have been present since birth.

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMJ) is can be extremely painful lasting from a temporary standpoint to many years without intervention. Women appear to suffer from TMJ at a higher percentage then their male counterparts can the common age range for suffers of TMJ are between the ages of 20-40.

The most common symptom of TMJ is pain and discomfort in the face and jaw line area but other symptoms present as well. TMY affects the cartilage disk in the temporomandibular joint as well as the masseter muscle, face, neck, teeth accompanying ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves. Suffers of TMJ may experience one or all of the common symptoms associated with Temporomandibular Disorder such as:

Pain or discomfort in the temporomandibular joint, jaw line and face.
In ability to open mouth at full extension
Occurrences of jaw locking or becoming stuck in an open or closed mouth position
When opening or closing mouth in either speech or eating jaw may pop or make a grating and clicking noise. Pain may or may not accompany this symptom.
Face feeling drawn down, tired or lethargic
Chewing or biting difficulties often times with sharp pain associated with the action.
Improper bite feeling or fitting
Swelling of the face commonly on the side of the face along masseter muscle
Tooth/teeth ache, loose or worn down teeth, sensitive or sore feeling teeth, clenching of teeth
Headaches, neck aches, pain in shoulders and an outwardly forward head neck positioning.
Dizziness and sometimes tingling in the fingertips
Ear aches, congested feeling in ears, hearing problems, ringing in the ears

There is help for anyone suffering from the symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorder. After a thorough evaluation by our Beverly Hills dentists, including a complete patient history, clinical examination of the temporomandibular joints, teeth and bite, and possible full face x-rays our dentist will be able to tell exactly where the TMJ is stemming from. Treatment varies upon the underlying cause of the Temporomandibular Disorder. Treatment can range from simply changing lifestyle practices to treatments ranging from mouth guards, low-level lazar therapy, Trigger-point injections, to surgery.

Self-care lifestyle changes are of course the simplest of the treatments from pain management, changing eating habits, changing head posture habits, adding relaxation techniques to your daily routine among other things our dentists can further instruct. In cases where simple self-care techniques help with the pain management but do not rectify the disorder, our dentists can inform you of the next necessary steps that are best suited for your individual need.

The majority of cases of d there is no need to live in pain when relief can be as simple as a phone call to our reputable Beverly Hills dentist.

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