Your TMJ is a complex joint affected by your jaw muscles, bite, and jaw bones. Each member of this trio has a part to play to keep your TMJ in harmony. Muscles should be relaxed, flexible, and balanced. Teeth are well aligned in a balanced stable bite. Both jaw joints must open and close comfortable and be free from damage due to injury or disease.
Around your jaw joint are groups of muscles that contract and relax so you can open and close your mouth, talk, and chew. When they are flexible and not under stress, they work in harmony with other parts of your jaw.
Your teeth form a bite so you can chew your food. Teeth are attached to your curved upper and lower jaw bones, which meet at your TMJs. The better your teeth line up, the more stable your bite and TMJ will be.
Your TMJ joins your upper and lower jaw (mandible). Like gears of a car, your TMJ has moving parts that allow your lower jaw to move. This lets you open and close your mouth for talking, biting, and chewing.
Inside your TMJ you have the disc, it is a shock absorber that provides gliding action between your lower and upper jaw when you pen and close your mouth. Connective tissue attaches your disc to the back of your joint and contains blood vessels and nerves.
The condyle is the round end (the ball) of the mandible which moves in and out of your TMJ socket (fossa). Muscles attached directly to your TMJ help control its movement and position. Ligaments hold your disc to your condyle, helping to stabilize your jaw.
Because your muscles, bite, and joint trio perform together, a problem with any one means your TMJ can be out of harmony. Muscle tension can lead to joint stiffness, headaches, and pain around your TMJ. Bite problems can change the posture of your jaw. A joint problem, such as a disc out of position, can cause clicking sounds or a “locked” jaw. You may have more than one of these problems. Muscle problems: stress, teeth clenching (bruxism), and poor posture cause your muscles to tighten up. This tightening pulls your upper and lower jaws closed together, putting pressure on your TMJ and sometimes wearing down your teeth. Many kinds of bad bites (malocclusions) disrupt to posture of your TMJ. If you have an open bite, your teeth only touch in the back. This can displace your condyle and possibly more your disc out of position. Joint problems can come from injuries (blow to the jaw or bruxism) or from disease (often arthritis). An injury may stretch ligaments, allow your disc to slip out of position, and even lead to arthritic degeneration.
A dental and medical evaluation helps pinpoint the causes of your TMJ disorder and is the first step in planning a personalized treatment program for you. A dental and medical history provides information about your overall health, begins to reveal the kinds of symptoms you are experiencing, and hints at their possible causes. A physical exam helps identify your TMJ-related symptoms, such as joint pain, clicking, or a limited range of motion. Diagnostic tests pinpoint even further the possible causes of your TMJ disorder, indicating what the best treatment might be for you. Dental casts may help determine whether your teeth are coming together correctly and how your bite may help determine whether your teeth are coming together correctly and how your bite may be affected my your joint and surrounding muscles. Your dental and medical history helps your doctor gather information on your symptoms, your overall health, and your family history of any related problems. With the answers you give, your doctor begins to determine the causes of your disorder. You might be asked: Are you under stress at work or at home? Do you clench or grind your teeth? Have you had bite problems or Joint disorders?
Your doctor examines you to detect your symptoms. One technique is to firmly touch (palpate) your muscles and jaw joint, checking for pain, muscle tension, and tenderness. Your doctor may also insert a little finger into your ear to feel how smoothly your jaw works. A stethoscope picks up clicking sounds in your joint and a ruler measures how wide you can open your jaw.
Dr James A Miller, Aesthetic Dentist - Providing cosmetic and neuromuscular dentistry and smile artistry to the areas of Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon.
Portland TMJ Dentist
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