Temporomandibular Joints TMJ are jaw joints that connect the lower jaw to the skull bone. We all have 2 TMJs, one on each side. Sometimes one may experience problems inside one or both these joints, such as clicking or popping sounds in the jaw joints, or locking of the jaws. TMD or Temporomandibular Disorder/ Dysfunction is a group of chronic conditions. It not only includes symptoms within the joints like clicking or popping, as mentioned earlier but also includes problems related to nerves and muscles that surround and support the joints. Most of the TMD symptoms can be incredibly painful and even debilitating.
There is a group of muscles that work together to guide and support the jaw. These muscles could become dysfunctional due to a number of reasons including chronic clenching of the teeth, chronic bruxism or teeth grinding or even incorrect contact between upper and lower teeth. This could lead to several problems like headaches, soreness, pain while chewing, ear problems, jaw pain, toothaches etc. Just like the complex relationship between muscles, nerves, bones of the joint structures, the symptoms too are multiple and wide ranging.
TMD is now seen as a part of Cranial Cervical Mandibular Dysfunction (C.C.M.D) as symptoms are no longer found to be local to just the jaw joint area, rather more generalized, including dizziness, hearing loss, vertigo, cervical pain, stiff neck, shoulder pain, numbness or tingling in the face, shoulders, upper limbs, hands, paresthesias, etc.
Diagnosing TMD requires great expertise, many chronic sufferers are misdiagnosed as trigeminal neuralgia, fibromyalgia etc because very often there is a blend of symptoms. The first step usually is taking a detailed history. Type of disease, severity and extent varies from person to person and treatments need to be customized to suit specific conditions. There is no one size fits all, each TMD condition is unique and is treated as such.
We are dedicated to taking care of patients with TMJ Disorders. The different techniques offered by us allow us to help relieve the symptoms and improve functionality of the joint thus preventing the problems from progressing further. We identify and correct the underlying cause for example correcting an improper occlusion of teeth, we offer custom dental orthotic or mouth appliances that help you achieve a bite that positions the jaw in the proper place for optimal functioning of the joint and relaxation of the muscles. We teach you how you can make postural changes, behavioural changes and teach you simple exercises that can relieve you from the chronic cycle of pain and spasm thus improving your quality of life.
The ultimate long-term goal is to help you have your teeth come together properly when you chew and swallow, without any stress on muscles and nerves of the jaws and spine.