Every day in our practice we see a patient referred from their doctor for “TMJ”. What does it mean and how is it treated?
Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders, commonly called “TMJ”, are a group of conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement. Over ten million Americans are affected with TMJ disorders. The condition appears to be more common in women than men. Often times headaches are associated with this condition.
For most people, pain in the area of the jaw joint or muscles does not signal a serious problem. Generally, discomfort from these conditions is occasional and temporary, often occurring in cycles. The pain eventually goes away with little or no treatment. Some people, however, develop significant, long-term symptoms.
Because more studies are needed on the safety and effectiveness of most treatments for jaw joint and muscle disorders, experts strongly recommend using the most conservative, reversible treatments possible. Conservative treatments do not invade the tissues of the face, jaw, or joint, or involve surgery. Reversible treatments do not cause permanent changes in the structure or position of the jaw or teeth. Even when TMJ disorders have become persistent, most patients still do not need aggressive types of treatment.
Because the most common jaw joint and muscle problems are temporary and do not get worse, simple treatment is all that is usually needed to relieve discomfort. Self-Care practices such as eating soft foods, applying moist heat or ice packs, avoiding extreme jaw movements (wide yawning, loud singing, and gum chewing), stress reduction techniques, and practicing gentle jaw stretching and relaxing exercises to increase jaw movement usually is an effective start to any “TMJ” problem. Medications, used conservatively, can be implemented when needed such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents or muscle relaxants. In our practice, when deemed therapeutic, we provide you with a stabilization splint or bite guard, which essentially is a durable plastic guard that fits over your upper or lower teeth. In many cases this appliance assists by lessening the force load on your teeth, muscles, and joint leading to a reduction of your discomfort.
If any of these problems exist, please let us know. We can perform a thorough evaluation of your condition to determine the source of your “TMJ” discomfort and design a plan of treatment through conservative measures to guide you to better jaw and facial muscle health.