TMJ :

If you are one of countless Americans who wake up each morning with a sore jaw, headaches, discomfort in the face, shoulders, or neck, pain or ringing in your ears, or clicking or popping of the jaw, you may be experiencing TMJ . What is TMJ , exactly?

TMJ stands for the Temporomandibular Joints – and has come to commonly mean disorders and diseases affecting those joints. The Temporomandibular Joints are the two joints in front of the ears that attach the lower jaw (the mandible) to the skull. According to the National Institutes of Health, the phrase Temporomandibular Disorders refers to a collection of medical and dental conditions affecting the Temporomandibular Joints and/or the chewing (mastication) muscles, as well as related tissue components.

TMJ Disorders and Diseases often feature muscle spasms which are sometimes diagnosed as Fibromyalgia or Myofacial Pain Dysfunction . In TMJ Disorders , you may experience joint problems, muscle problems, or both.

The Temporomandibular Joints and the Mandibular Complex are able to function and move by means of innervated muscle, ligaments, and tissue that are the connecting components between the lower jaw and the skull. These joints allow us to breathe, swallow (we swallow 2,000 - 3,000 times a day!), open and close our mouths, chew, kiss, talk, etc. The jaw joints can be afflicted by trauma, arthritis, tearing or dislocation of the articular disc, or even tumors.

When they are healthy and intact, these joints are the only joints in the human body that work together as a unit. Like all other ball-and-socket joints, the jaw joints rotate. They also move down and forward (this motion is called translation). A thin piece of tissue (the articular disc) acts as a buffer between the skull and the condyle (the top of the mandible).

In our office, Dr. Fallah, who has been specifically trained in Neuromuscular Dentistry , can use a variety of techniques to correct the problem and relieve the TMJ patient of their discomfort. Following a complete exam, Dr. Fallah will determine the best course of action for the patient suffering from TMJ .

Thanks to state-of-the-art computer diagnostics, the patient's jaw can be measured with precision, and their bite adjusted, so as to alleviate pain and problems. When the TMJ is in a relaxed position, patients experience relief of spasms, as well as the alleviation of other TMJ symptoms.

Sometimes Dr. Fallah will construct an orthotic for the patient to wear. An orthotic orthopedically aligns the lower jaw to the cranium. If the patient's symptoms have subsided after wearing the orthotic for three months, Dr. Fallah may recommend crowns in order to maintain the orthopedic position established by the orthotic.

Orthodontia alone, or in combination with crowns, can be recommended by Dr. Fallah. When back teeth are missing, the solution can include dentures and/or partials.

Another approach is to reshape the teeth so as to remove interferences that cause jaw displacement. This is known as Occlusal Correction or Coronoplasty.

There are even some nutritional supplements which help support a patient's entire oral health, and may have an impact on TMJ ( Click here for “Holistic Dentistry – the Role of Nutrition in Oral Health ”).

Only when irreversible damage has occurred, and a patient's joints are beyond nature's healing capacity is surgery recommended.

To quote Dr. Terrance O'Shaugnessy, an expert in the field of TMJ : “Treating the symptoms rather than addressing the source and cause will prolong the inevitable search for a stable result… Only by effectively measuring the physiologic parameters of the facial, head, and neck muscles, and understanding the true status, function, and posturing of the jaw joints as relates to the skull and teeth, can one then unlock the key to this… mysterious… disease.”

For more information, please click here for Dr. Fallah's article entitled “TMJ – Neuromuscular Dentistry.”