Articles

TMJ Disorder and Treatment

What a shock! You went to your bay area dentist with an awful pain in the jaw only to find that it’s origin is due to stress not an impaction! The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a marvel allowing back and forth movement as well as gliding from side to side. But when TMJ disorder sets in, it causes amazing agony.

Your dentist took x-rays and performed a thorough examination. Before the visit you, like 15% of Americans, experienced facial pain that felt like a sinus infection or an impacted tooth. Yet, despite the popping noises in your jaw when you opened it to chew or speak you still didn’t make the connection. But the dentist suspected it right away. His examination confirmed that you suffer from TMD. The TMJ is a complicated system of muscle, ligaments, disc and bones which allow the many movements that we require of our mouths.

Okay great, now you can feel relieved that although you have TMD the bones aren’t degenerated, the discs are still good and surgery isn’t needed. It is still only the muscles which are causing you problems and they can heel in time. But what about relieving that pain? Your dentist has some simpler treatments he’d like you to try. For one thing stress is the cause of your pain and he’d like you to try stress relieving exercises. If that isn’t successful then maybe the night guard to keep you from grinding your teeth might relieve the symptoms. Perhaps he will be able to provide a prescription for a muscle relaxant.

You feel more relaxed already just knowing that the doctor isn’t suggesting surgery! Whew! But you might not have been so lucky. TMD can be far worse. Arthroscopy and arthroplasty could be less radical approaches to improve the joint’s disc location. Arthroscopy would allow for a small incision to be made through which an endoscope (small camera and surgical tool) can be inserted. Diagnosis, minor corrections to positioning, and treatment of inflammation can be made in this less invasive method.

Arthroplasty is more involved open joint surgery. This can be greater changes in positioning of the disk or removal of the diskSurgery and orthodontics may be necessary if malocclusions or other dental positioning is the underlying problem. Sometimes a generalized deterioration of the TMJ may have occurred and a partial or complete joint replacement might be recommended. This would be similar in nature to knee or hip replacement surgery except that it can be trickier in this area.
The replacement of TMJ can be very problematic and would only be undertaken under extreme circumstances. Very few people need this procedure. But those with arthritic conditions, deformity, malignancy or other serious disorders may be good candidates for these.

But you are on your road to recovery. You’ve decided to make lifestyle adjustments and avoid stress in the first place. You’re going to follow your dentist’s recommendations and are confident that this pain in your jaw can be conquered.