Temporomandibular Joint Disorder: A Complete Overview

The Temporomandibular Joint or TMJ is the place where the jawbone meets the skull. It helps in talking and chewing activities. If there are any problems that arise with this joint, it is called the TMJ disorder. Some patients will have an abnormality that leads to the joint that slides out of place. It is fairly common, and almost 3 million cases are diagnosed.

Common symptoms

When you are suffering from such a disorder, you will have lots of pain and achiness in the area where the jaw connects to the skull. The affected people also might have some trouble in eating, talking, and opening their jaw wide. It will affect one or both sides of the face. Some other symptoms include swelling and clicking or popping sounds when opening the mouth. It may also happen due to accidents. So, visiting motor vehicle accident Calgary for getting cured.

What leads to TMJ?

These symptoms arise from the issues associated with the muscles of your jaw or with the parts of the joints. If there are any injuries on the jaw, the joint, or the muscles of the head and neck, like from a heavy blow or whiplash, it leads to such disorders. Some other common reasons include the following.

  • Grinding or clenching the teeth that will put more pressure on the joint
  • Arthritis in the joints
  • Movements of the soft cushion or the disc between the socket and the balls of the joints
  • Stress that leads causes you to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth

Diagnosing process

If you are suffering from such symptoms, the dentist will look for some signs of irritations or inflammation in your jaw. They will listen for clicking or grinding noises and test how far your jaw can move in all directions. Based on the case, you may need to take an X-ray or any other type of imaging scan to help your doctor get a clear picture of how far the jaw is affected.

The treatment

Based on the conditions and the impacts, the dentist will probably recommend certain things, and that includes the following.

  • Eat softer foods
  • Tale over-the-counter pain relievers
  • Put hot or cold compresses on the jaw
  • Do fewer exercises to stretch and keep the jaw relaxed
  • Do not chew the gum or nails
  • Limit the movements whenever it is possible.

Maintaining healthy TMJ

When you know more about the TMJ, it will help you better understand how you can keep it working better. Like breathing for the count of five, the relaxation techniques will help in reducing the stress and alleviate the teeth grinding. When you have soft food, it will reduce the tension in the TMJ. Finally, regular dentist appointments will help in the early diagnosis of the issue.

Thus, you might have got an overview of the TMJ. Ensure you are following things appropriately for healthy living with proper treatment for TMJ Calgary disorder.