Temporomandibular Joint Disorder symptoms and treatments.
Your jaw joint (TMJ) is very unique as it is the only joint in your body that both hinges and glides. There are also 68 pairs of muscles that either directly or indirectly affect the position of the jaws.* The positioning of your jaw, therefore, can have an impact on your body in ways you may never imagine. Remember, the head bone’s connected to the neck bones, the neck bone’s connected to the shoulder bones…and so on down the body. So if your jaw joint is out of place (due to an accident, grinding or clenching, arthritis in the joint, or simply the way you’ve physically developed) you could end up with back pain even though you may not think the two are related. Common symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder include: headaches, dizziness, clicking and popping when you chew, difficulty chewing, toothache, hearing loss, insomnia, body pain, and the list goes on. Also, 92% of the nerves that enter and exit the skull come in direct contact with two of the bones that are most influenced by the position of the jaws.* This could result in nerves being stimulated or irritated, causing symptoms that again, might be alleviated with TMD treatment.
What is the treatment for TMD? Many people find relief through a combination of craniosacral massage and physiotherapy (some therapists will be more trained in this area than others, so ask beforehand), as well as wearing a splint (usually at night) to put the jaw into its correct placement. If the splint is providing relief, than further dental work may be advised in order to make the change more permanent for you. This could involve orthodontic work to align the teeth properly, as well as crowns in order to create the correct bite for your jaw. Although the work can be extensive, time consuming, and expensive, patients who have gone through with complete treatment have remarked at how it has changed their lives. Instead of waking up with debilitating headaches, or unable to eat crunchy or firm foods such as apples, steak, corn on the cob, etc, they are able to function normally and enjoy life again. There are more patient responses on our website, but I wanted to share this one as it sums up the possible results so well.
“I have NO facial or jaw pain. I have NO headaches. I am a much more pleasant person to deal with, particularly in the mornings. I get up looking forward to the day ahead, instead of wanting to take Tylenol and crawl back under the covers to wait for the pain to subside. I can both open and close my mouth. I can actually bite into food and chew it thoroughly. My choices of food has widened considerably now that it doesn’t have to be soft.”
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees of what will provide you with relief. Begin with the most minimal treatment (massage and physio) and see what effects that may have. The next step would be to visit a dentist who is familiar and comfortable with TMD treatment. They will assess and create a treatment plan that may help you.
*TMJ Dysfunction, An Ounce of Prevention, Dr. D.R. Wooten