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What Is TMJ?

TMJ is the Temporomandibular Joint, the joint where the lower jaw connects the temporal bone of the skull, right in front of the ear on each side of your head. TMJ play an essential role in eating, speaking, and making facial expressions. The TMJ is a sliding joint and not a ball-and-socket like the shoulder. The nerve to the TMJ is a branch of the trigeminal nerve and therefore, an injury to the TMJ may be confused with neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve.

Between 5 and 15 percent of people in the United States experience pain associated with TMJ disorders, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. Women are more likely than men to develop TMJ disorders.

TMJ Syndrome or TMJ Disorder

TMJ syndrome or disorder is a condition when the temporomandibular joint does not function properly. Sometimes it is pain at the TMJ, which fall under the broader term of TMJ syndrome.

TMJ syndrome is the name given to an array of symptoms, the majority of which are related to muscle spasms. The muscles involved in the spasms are those which control the movement of the lower jaw. Because we walk on two legs instead of four, these muscles also balance the head, neck, and shoulders.

Although some people with TMJ disorders have muscle spasms, others with the same problems don’t, this is still a medical mystery. Often, TMJ disorders cause tenderness and pain in the TMJ.

TMJ syndrome or TMJ disorder is more common than people once realized. TMJ disorder can develop due to any number of causes like cartilage wear and tear, misaligned bite, clenching and grinding, dislocated TMJ. Other possible causes of TMJ-related symptoms include arthritis, fractures, and structural problems present since birth.

Because muscles and joints work together, TMJ disorder may cause problems like headaches, ear pain, bite problems (malocclusion), clicking sounds, or locked jaws. TMJ disorder may produce pain in the muscles and joints of the jaw that can radiate to the face, neck, and head and even the shoulders.

TMJ Symptoms (Disorders)

Signs and symptoms of TMJ disorder may include:

• Earache or Ear pain is common sign of TMJ disorder. About 50% of patients with a TMJ disorder notice ear pain but do not have signs of infection. The ear pain is usually described as being in front of or below the ear.
• Headache is general symptom of TMJ. Approximately 80% of patients with a TMJ disorder complain of headache.
• Jaw popping or clicking sound while chewing or opening the mouth. This means the disc may be in an abnormal position. Sometimes no treatment is needed if the sounds give you no pain.
• Locking of the jaw TMJ symptom. Locking of the TMJ may be noticed simply by catching of the lower jaw as it opens. Sometimes, the person with a locked joint must move the jaw to one side or another in order to open wide.
• Difficulty in opening the mouth fully.
• Biting or chewing difficulty or discomfort.
• Sore jaw muscles.
• Temple or cheek pain.
• Frequent neck aches.

Many other symptoms may be associated with TMJ. Depression is common with TMJ. This may be due to the fact that no one really believes there is a problem causing such pain and suffering.

TMJ Treatment and Exercise

In most cases, pain and discomfort associated with TMJ disorders can be alleviated with self-managed care or nonsurgical treatments. Simple, gentle therapies are usually recommended first. If those don’t work, mouth guards and more aggressive treatments may be considered.

More-severe cases of TMJ may need to be treated with dental or surgical interventions. Surgery is generally a last resort for TMJ treatment. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take at home long before that point.

TMJ Exercises

Try massaging the various muscles that may be involved around TMJ. Probe all of the muscles of the face, shoulders, and back of the neck. (Avoid the area around the throat.) Press on the muscles to identify extremely painful points of TMJ. Massage the painful spot with hard, slow, short strokes. Do this several times a day until the muscle is no longer painful when pressed.

To massage the masseter muscles on each side of your jaw, place your thumb inside your mouth and squeeze the thick muscle in your cheek (toward the back of your mouth) with your fingers. To get at the harder-to-reach jaw muscles inside your mouth, use your index finger to probe for tender areas behind the teeth, and use the finger to massage these spots.

10 Steps TMJ Exercises Treatment:

1. Breathe in 4. Concentrate on counting 4 on inhalation. This makes the breathing regular. Do this in front of the mirror.
2. Breathe out 6. Make exhalation longer than inhalation. Use the act of relaxing the diaphragm as you exhale to signal other muscles to relax. As you exhale, you chest, shoulders, rib muscles relax.
3. Breathe in count of 4 and out count of 6, as you exhale let this be a signal to relax. The actual time is not important as long as exhalation is longer than inhalation and you relax as you exhale. Feel an energy enter your body as you inhale.. Feel the tinnitus and tension leave your body as you exhale.
4. See the Face Relax. Look at your face in the mirror. Tighten your muscles. Now relax them. As you exhale let this be a signal to relax the facial muscles. After a while you won’t need the mirror.
5. See the jaw relax in the mirror. Note the position compared to the vertical line. Don’t open the jaw. Let it fall open as you relax, like when your dad fell asleep on the couch. For TMJ problems, you draw a straight vertical line on the mirror and line up your face to the midline to make sure your jaw opens in the midline and not to the side. For TMJ patients, once the jaw opens midline, the muscles are then balanced to relieve the condition.
6. See/feel the shoulders relax as you exhale. Think good energy, good air going into the chest and old used up air leaving the chest
7. Recall a place where you felt relaxed, the beach, at the club, etc. Picture a rose or look at a picture of an object to remind you of this place. Be as relaxed as you were at this beach. Still breathe in 4 and out 6.
8. Relax from toes on up. Toes, legs, tummy, chest, neck, eyes, forehead. Maintain the in 4 out 6 breathing count.
9. Raise a finger. Do 3 breaths. At the third breath, drop your raised finger and when it touches, let that be a signal to relax. You may repeat this for a minute.
10. Imagine going to a healing place. An island or a place famous for healing. So many people you know have been healed here. Imagine the trip. Do you go by boat or plane? Or even by magic carpet! The water, food, music, air, scents, flowers, all help heal you. Imagine a guide to take you around. Make an image in your mind that here the tinnitus is reduced. You can image a golden light healing you, or the special bubbling spring that you bathe in. Be sure to use all senses. Image the flowers surrounding a clear crystal stream of delicious mountain water that is famous for healing. Imagine the guide explaining that there is a special mixture of elements in the water that act as a vitamin, etc. Again use all 5 senses, taste, feeling, smell, sight, hearing. See the flowers, smell them, touch them, hear the breeze blowing on them - imagine a musical note, even try tasting them.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery recommends trying some simple TMJ remedies. To reduce the amount of wear and injury to the Temporomandibular Joint, chew evenly (left vs. right); stop chewing gum; avoid hard chewy foods, and stop clenching, or grinding your teeth. Also to prevent TMJ disorders and to treat TMJ:

1. Avoid hard and chewy foods like nuts and steak.
2. Avoid chewing gum.
3. Learn relaxation techniques to help loosen the jaw and the rest of your body.
4. Maintain good posture when sitting and standing.
5. Relax your facial muscles throughout the day.
6. Drink plenty of water and get ample sleep.
7. Apply warm compresses on the face for twenty minutes daily.
8. Use anti-inflammatory medications such as Tylenol or Motrin.
9. Keep your TMJ in a good position, with your teeth slightly apart and lips together. To maintain this position, keep your tongue at the top of the mouth and breathe through your nose.

Other home TMJ reliefs, such as moist heat or cold packs on the face, vitamin supplements, or biofeedback are useful for some people. Exercising several times each week may help you relax, strengthen your body, increase flexibility, and increase your ability to handle pain.

TMJ Treatment with Mouthguards

Mouth guards, also called splints or appliances, have been used since the 1930’s to treat teeth grinding, clenching, and TMJ disorders. Many people have found them to be useful, but the benefits vary widely. The guard may lose its effectiveness of TMJ treatment over time, or when you stop wearing it. Other people may feel worse pain when they wear one.

If you grind your teeth in your sleep, you may benefit from wearing a soft or firm device inserted over your teeth. This bite guard prevents your teeth from meshing together and TMJ is treated little by little. Bite guards sometimes aggravate sleep apnea symptoms.

TMJ Treatment with Dental Surgery

Dental surgery is indicated in those situations whereTMJ  therapy has failed. It is done as a last resort. But before, your dentist will check the alignment of your teeth and he may improve your bite by balancing the biting surfaces of your teeth, replacing missing teeth, or replacing needed fillings or crowns.

Be cautious about any non-reversible TMJ treatment method that permanently alters your bite. However, if a mouth guard doesn’t work, your dentist may recommend orthodontics to help re-align your teeth.

If the other approaches don’t work, your doctor or dentist may refer you to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Surgery to repair or remove the disk between your mandible and temporal bone may be beneficial. When advanced osteoarthritis is present, a partial or total joint replacement may help remove bone-on-bone contact and improve joint mechanics and motion.

Can a Chiropractor Fix TMJ?

Chiropractic care is usually thought of as something people are looking for when they suffer from back pain. But it can also help with a variety of other problems, such as temporal mandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ). So the answer is yes, chiropractors can fix TMJ.

A chiropractor will carry out a detailed study of the problem and after properly understanding the cause of the problem will start the TMJ  treatment. Patients often wonder how can a chiropractor fix TMJ. Sometimes it has been observed that the chiropractic treatment have been found to be more effective then the allopathic treatment.

Chiropractic can fix TMJ disorder with recommending exercise, nutrition and lifestyle changes to help speed recovery and prevent a relapse of TMJ.

Be extremely careful and consult your physician before take steps to TMJ treatment or remedy by yourself or chiropractic.

Categories: Jaw and Bones