What is a TMJ Disorder and How Can it Be Treated?

                                                                                         

TMJ stands for Temporpmandibular Joint Syndrome and is a condition of the jaw joint. TMJ is very painful and is caused by a misaligned jawbone. TMJ can cause pain and discomfort in other parts of the body also.

There is now a special type of dentistry dedicated to treating ailments of the head, neck, face and shoulder area. This type of dentist is called a neuromuscular dentist. If you have TMJ this is the type of dentist that you will want to see. At this point in time TMJ is still not fully understood. TMJ can be caused by head trauma that damages the jaw joint or the cartilage of the joint. In addition, people that grind their teeth can cause damage to the jaw joint thus bringing on TMJ. It is also thought that genetics and some diseases can cause or at least aggravate TMJ.

TMJ has many symptoms and this is why it can be so hard to diagnose. The most common and most painful symptom is headaches. Many people think that they are having migraine headaches so they go to other doctors and not a dentist. Each TMJ case is different and can have one or more of the following symptoms. Jaw pain, neck, and shoulder pain, earache, ringing in the ears, popping sounds in the jaw, limited jaw movement, tingling in the arms or fingers, stiffness and fatigue in the jaw muscles, discomfort while chewing, unexplained dental pain, and unexplained tooth wear or chipping.

The reason that a problem in the jaw can cause symptoms as far away as the arms and fingers is that there are several main nerves in the area of the face. If one of these nerves is compressed then the pain can be felt throughout the entire nerve. So, if you are having unexplained pains and headaches one after the other you may want to seek the advice of a dentist and see if you might have TMJ. Many dental experts believe that a large number of people suffer from TMJ and do not know that is what is ailing them.

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