TMJ Symptoms
BOOK APPOINTMENTDo the muscles in your face feel tired? Does your jaw feel sore when you bite down or chew? Do you hear a popping, clicking, or grinding sound when you open your mouth, when you speak, or when you chew? Does one or both of your ears ache? Then you just might be suffering from what is commonly referred to as TMJ.
TMJ is an abbreviation for Temporomandibular joint. This joint is located just in front of both of your ears and connects your bottom jaw with your skull. The TMJ is a hinge joint that allows you to open and close your mouth, speak, and chew.
Much like your knee joint, the TMJ is divided into two parts by a disc. The disc serves as a buffer between the jaw bone and the skull. It is strong, yet flexible, and keeps the joint balanced. The joint is also made up of muscle, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels, and other tissues.
TMJ Symptoms
NOSE
One of the main symptoms associated with TMJ problems is popping and clicking of the jaw joint. Sometimes, this can generate noise that can even be heard by others.
Pain
The discomfort and pain can be in the joint, ear, face, and even the neck and shoulders.
HEADACHES
Everyone gets headaches; they are an inevitable fact of life. The tricky thing about headaches, though, is that it’s hard to pin down their cause. Countless mental and physical factors can contribute to
Locking of the Jaw
The jaw becomes locked when either opened or closed.
Limited Jaw Movement
A person is limited on how far they can open their mouth.
Difficulty Chewing
Chewing can be painful and feels as though they can’t bite hard on their food as they once did.
Uncomfortable Bite
If your upper/lower teeth do not come together properly when you close your mouth or try to chew food, this can cause discomfort in the joint.
Other
Swelling, toothache, earache, ringing in the ear, headache, dizziness, neck and shoulder pain, and your facial muscles feel tired.
These symptoms appear because the joint is not functioning as it should. The exact cause of TMJ is unknown, but there are some contributing factors that lead to problems developing in the joint.
Possible Causes of TMJ
- Injury
- Bruxism (grinding of the teeth) and Clenching
Grinding of the teeth wears the teeth unevenly, affecting a person’s bite. It also places stress on the joint. Clenching of the teeth places stress on the joint and muscles, causing discomfort. - Missing teeth
- Problems with Occlusion
The teeth do not come together properly when the mouth is closed or when you chew. - Dislocated Disc
The disc that separates the upper and lower parts of the joint shifts out of place causing the joint to become unbalanced. - Arthritis
- Stress
Stress can lead to the tightening of the jaw, facial, and neck muscles, clenching (whether consciously or unconsciously), and the formation of habits that contribute to the development of TMJ disorders such as biting on pens, nail biting, and excessive gum chewing.
Our Blogs
Do You Have Trouble Opening and Closing Your Mouth? You May Have TMJ Disorder
Back to BlogsYour lower jaw is connected to your upper jaw and skull by hinges on both sides (known as the temporomandibular joint or TMJ), which you can feel if you put your fingers in front of your earlobes and open and close your mouth. If you have trouble even...
Pain or Clicking of the Jaw’s Hinges Needs to Be Treated by Your Dentist
Back to BlogsUp to 15% of American adults (most aged 20-40) suffer from the dislocation of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), which connect the lower jaw to the each side of the skull. You can feel these move by holding your fingers just in front of the lower...
Feel Sore Around Your Jaw, Face, and Neck? You May Have TMJ Disorder
Back to BlogsFeel Sore Around Your Jaw, Face, and Neck? You May Have TMJ Disorder The temporomandibular joint (aka TMJ) connects the lower jaw to the skull and the hinges can be felt ifyou put your fingers just in front of the lower earlobes and open and close your...
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