It’s not clear what causes tmj disorder. But some things may make them worse, like stress or a problem with the way your teeth fit together (malocclusion).
A health care provider or dentist will do a physical exam of your jaw and the muscles around it. They will probably recommend reversible treatments for you to try at home first.
Symptoms
Pain in one or both of the temporomandibular joints (the jaw bones). Clicking, popping, or grating when you chew or open your mouth. Restricted movement or a locked jaw. Headaches that spread to the temples or the back of your head. Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Stress and poor posture are common risk factors for TMJ disorder. They can cause destructive habits such as jaw clenching and teeth grinding, known as awake bruxism or sleep bruxism. These can also contribute to neck strain.
TMJ symptoms can be caused by a variety of conditions and diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, Sjogren’s syndrome, and connective tissue disorders like scleroderma.
Depending on the severity of your TMJ, treatment may vary from avoiding foods that require much chewing or opening your mouth wide to yawn to applying heat or ice to the affected area. Stress reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and a soft foods diet are often helpful.
Diagnosis
TMJ disorders are characterized by pain or tenderness in the jaw joint and/or surrounding tissues, often associated with limited movement of the jaw. Recent research has revealed that TMJ disorder symptoms are related to problems in multiple body systems — including the circulatory, digestive, endocrine, exocrine, immune, muscular, nervous and skeletal system.
A doctor can diagnose TMJ by asking questions about your symptoms and conducting a physical exam. Your doctor will also ask about your past health history, particularly whether you have a family history of TMJ or if you’ve ever had dental work done.
Your doctor may order an imaging test to look at your jaw’s structure, such as an X-ray or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Depending on the results of these tests and your symptoms, your doctor will recommend treatment. Treatment options include short-term over-the-counter pain medications, bite plates and splints, physical therapy with jaw exercises, stress reduction counseling and trigger point acupuncture.
Treatment
Treatment for a TMJ disorder depends on your symptoms and their severity. You might need pain-relieving medicine, physical therapy, splints or surgery. You may also need medicine to relieve nerve-related problems or other illnesses that can cause TMJ symptoms, such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, lupus, systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma.
Symptoms often improve with time and home care. Your doctor might recommend eating soft foods, applying ice or moist heat and avoiding jaw movements that aggravate the joint, such as chewing gum, opening your mouth wide when yawning or clenching your teeth.
Your doctor might need to take X-rays or an ultrasound of the joint to see what is causing your symptoms. A MRI, which uses magnetic fields to show detailed images of tissues and organs, is another way to look for TMJ problems. Your doctor might perform arthroscopy or arthrocentesis, where they put a small camera and syringe in your joint to drain fluid and examine the tissue.
Prevention
The temporomandibular joints, or TMJs, work in conjunction with jaw muscles and ligaments to allow you to open your mouth, chew and swallow. When these joints and muscles are strained, pain can occur. Luckily, there are ways to prevent TMJ strain and maintain good oral health. These include brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing, chewing on soft foods, taking breaks when chewing, maintaining good posture, wearing a mouthguard while sleeping, and practicing relaxation techniques to manage stress.
A variety of factors can cause TMJ disorders, including physical trauma, clenching or grinding the teeth, misaligned bite problems and arthritis. TMD is also influenced by gender (women are more likely to experience TMJ) and age, as well as stress.
There are some things you can do to help prevent TMJ disorder, including eating a diet of soft foods, wearing a mouthguard while sleeping, exercising regularly, and relaxing with massages or hot/cold treatments. You can also take herbal supplements like cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) and lobelia (Lobelia inflata), but only under the supervision of a medical professional.