TMJ awareness can help people struggling with TMJ problems and even those who may not even know it. While sometimes symptoms can go away on their own, you will likely need intervention to relieve the cause if they linger. Seeking an effective diagnosis can make all the difference when it comes to lessening and alleviating pain in your body from TMJ issues.
TMJ (or TMD) refers to a variety of disorders that can affect your jaw alignment because of your temporomandibular joint. Something as common as headaches or migraines and pain when chewing can be a result of a TMJ disorder. You might hear jaw joint clicking, popping, or grinding sounds, especially when you are biting or chewing, and should seek help if your pain is accompanied by swelling or lockjaw.
TMJ happens when the spot of tissue that rests on your jawbone doesn’t cushion your jaw when you open and close your mouth. This tissue can slide off of your jawbone to cause problems throughout your body. Your condyle (top of the jaw bone) is inside your temporomandibular joint, and its job is to cushion the articular disc. When these jaw joint discs slip, you can end up with pain in your body.
Body Pain Related To TMJ Issues
Head
- – Pain in the forehead, temples or sinuses
– Chronic migraines
– Pain shooting up the back of your head
– Your hair and scalp hurts
Ears
- – Hearing hissing or ringing sounds
– Your hearing lessens
– Pain or aches in the ear
– Your ears feel clogged or itchy
– Experiencing vertigo or form of dizziness
Eyes
- – Pain behind your eyes
– Bulging eyes
– Bloodshot eyes
– Sunlight sensitivity
Mouth or Teeth
- – Pain in the mouth
– Can hardly open mouth
– Mouth locks shut or open
– Bite is hard to find
– Night-time teeth clenching and grinding
– Back teeth are sore or loose
Jaw
- – Joints click, pop or grate
– Cheek muscles are sore
– Can’t control your jaw or tongue
Neck
- – Stiff, hard to move
– Hurts
– Muscles are sore
– Your shoulder and back ache
– Fingers or arms hurt and feel numb
Throat
- – Swallowing is hard
– Getting laryngitis
– Throat hurts
– Voice changes
– Chronic cough or throat clearing
– Feel something in the back of the throat
As you can see, struggling with TMJ pain can disrupt your day-to-day living, and it doesn’t have to be that way! Creating awareness around TMJ is the first step in getting the treatment you need to transform your quality of life or the life of someone you know and care about who exhibits these symptoms. The next step is an actual diagnosis to determine the cause, followed by effective treatment. Most often, a simple conservative approach to treatment can make all the difference.
Treating TMJ/TMD
- Stick to soft foods until your jaw swelling or pain diminishes
- Avoid chewing gum, ice chips and fingernail biting
- Apply heat packs outside the area
- Relieve stress with biofeedback, meditation, yoga or counseling
- Perform gentle jaw exercises
- Take muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs, anti-inflammatories or analgesics
- Wear a nightguard to prevent jaw clenching and grinding
- Realigning the bite with orthodontics
If these measures don’t provide relief, surgical intervention (like arthrocentesis or arthroscopy) can often fix the problem. If your symptoms indicate potential TMJ/TMD issues, we urge you to reach out to our team for a consultation and screening. You deserve a pain-free life!
