TMJ or “temporomandibular joint” disorders are very common. In fact, you probably know at least one person who suffers from pain in their jaw, and you may have even experienced it yourself.
Part of what makes this particular condition so serious is not only its frequency among patients, but also the fairly dramatic procedures that are necessary to correct it once it reaches the later stages of progress.
In order to help our patients understand TMJ disorders a little more fully, here are three facts that may surprise you about how they develop and how you can prevent them from impacting your oral health.
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1. Teeth Are Deeply Involved
The temporomandibular joints themselves are located just in front of your ears. If you place your fingers there and open your mouth wide, you’ll feel the muscles moving to exercise the joints. What surprises many people, however, is that pain in that joint is often caused by problems with the teeth.
You’ve probably heard dentists (or your parents!) tell you that you shouldn’t chew on ice cubes, your fingernails, or other very hard objects. You may have wondered, “But if it doesn’t hurt my teeth, it must be okay, right?” The problem is not just your teeth themselves, but rather the strain that chewing on hard objects places on your jaw’s joints.
As humans, our jaw muscles are incredibly strong. But overusing those muscles on a regular basis will eventually damage the joint that they control. When this happens, using that joint becomes very painful.
2. Causes Are Not Always Obvious
While chewing on ice cubes is likely to lead to jaw pain in the long term, it’s not always that easy to trace a TMJ disorder back to its root cause.
Overuse is a huge factor, and that includes bad habits such as grinding the teeth. If your dental structure is not aligned well, that can also strain the TMJ, as its motion is not completely natural when you eat or speak.
In some cases, though, your Raleigh dentist may not be able to tell you exactly what factors have led to the pain in your jaw. Research indicates that genetics and other complex factors are active with TMJ disorders in ways that we do not yet understand.
In today’s age of frequent cell phone use, many experts also recommend avoiding holding your phone between your ear and your shoulder as you talk—as we tend to do naturally when we need both hands free. This creates tension in the shoulders, neck, and jaw muscles, and may lead to TMJ disorders.
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3. There Are Numerous Experimental Therapy Techniques
Because we lack a complete understanding of how TMJ disorders develop, we also find it difficult to invent techniques for healing them. For extreme cases, surgery performed by a specialist is necessary in order to repair the joint and restore normal motion. But a number of experimental techniques are also being studied to relieve pain caused by minor cases. These include:
- Heat treatments
- Injections of pain-relieving medication directly into the joint
- Gentle electrical shocks
- Radio wave therapy
Most of the techniques being studied focus on an effort to relax the muscles that surround the TMJ. When those muscles relax, they put less pressure on the joint and allow it to heal naturally. Many of the techniques also stimulate blood flow to the area, giving the joint extra resources and encouraging it to become stronger.
Your Dentist in Raleigh, NC
At New Hope Dental Care, we help our patients get to the bottom of whatever issue is causing them pain. From minor toothaches to serious gum infections, our team is prepared to help you and your family fight off oral health threats and enjoy beautiful, healthy smiles!
If you suffer from jaw pain, make an appointment at our office today. You can get in touch with us through the forms on our website and let us know what day and time are best for your visit. We are excited about meeting you!
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