The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is like a sliding hinge that connects the jawbone to the skull. TMJ disorders result in pain in the jaw and jaw muscles surrounding the jaw. What causes these types of disorders is not ultimately clear due to the fact there are a variety of things that may cause it or contribute to it.
For example, arthritis can cause pain in the TMJ joint, as could the lasting impact of an injury. In some cases, there are genetic causes that lead to jaw pain. In some cases, the TMJ disorder is a result of constantly clenching or grinding their teeth.
According to recent research, there are roughly 35 million people in the United States alone that have been diagnosed with a TMJ disorder. Approximately 95 percent of those are women. Some research also suggests that TMJ disorders are connected to migraines, which are also suffered by an estimated 37 million people in the United States with the majority of them being female.
In most cases, this type of jaw pain can be relieved through self-care and nonsurgical treatments. For those that habitually clench or grind there teeth, there are exercises and treatments available to help them put a stop to this habit.
Teeth grinding can lead to a wide range of dental problems, so the negative impact is not isolated to the development of a TMJ disorder. When consulting a physician about a possible tmj treatment, it is important to try to address the causes if they are known. In the case of teeth grinding, you can seek the advice of a family dentist to see how to put a stop to the teeth grinding.
Similarly, where there are many options in migraine headache treatment, if it is possibly connected to the teeth grinding, the solution is with the dentist. Finding a way to stop grinding or clenching your teeth is preferable and more logical than simply taking a prescription strength medicine to treat the migraines. When you do that, you are simply treating the symptoms of a greater problem.
Clenching and grinding teeth and the subsequent TMJ disorders also lead to facial pain in addition to pain in the joints of the jaw and surrounding muscles. The act of clenching and grinding put unwarranted pressure and tension on the muscles and the bones in the jaw, which can then ache causing radiating pain throughout the face.
While there are a wide range of doctors that may be able to provide pain relief or treatments. The first step should be to go to the dentist and discuss the grinding and clenching. For some, it is a habit triggered by stress or other factors. For others, it is something they do in their sleep and aren’t even aware of.
Sleep disorders can have a significant impact on overall health, migraines, and TMJ disorders. Research has found that sleep apnea makes an individual over seventy percent more likely to develop a TMJ disorder. While the exact connections between TMJ disorders and the range of factors found to be possible contributing factors have not been made, research shows a clear correlation, so there are all something to look at when suffering from TMJ.
Nobody should have to live with pain, and if you are suffering each time you try to eat, open your mouth, or simply being awake, there are options. TMJ disorders are very treatable as are many of the factors known to contribute to TMJ disorders. Chronic pain can lead to a variety of other problems including sleep loss, depression, and anxiety, which are subsequently connected to even more serious illness such as heart disease.
