TMJ is the Temporomandibular joint i.e. the joint between the skull and the lower jaw. Any problem in this joint is called TMD or temporomandibular joint disorder.
Clicking and popping of joint while opening it wide
Reduced mouthopening or forward movement of jaw
Jaw going to one side while opening or jaw not opening in a straight line (deflection/deviation)
Pain in Joint area
Headache, neck ache, shoulder ache, back ache
Sometimes when the way your teeth meet (also known as bite or occlusion) is not proper, the muscles of the head, neck and face have to work extra hard to keep the jaw in place and they are under constant strain. The constant strain causes development of chronic headaches.
The dentist will check your bite, the way your jaw moves, your muscles and give you a simple diagnostic device to check if your headache is really due to bite issues.
There are various treatment methods to correct bite which may take 10 days to sometimes even 2 years to treat. Various methodologies are-
Wearing a permissive splint
Removal of any deflective contacts
Orthodontic(Braces/Aligners) treatment
Full mouth rehabilitation
Due to long term wrong placement of jaw you may develop temporomandibular joint disorder which is irreversible. Common symptoms include
Clicking of jaw joints
Pain on moving the jaw
Reduced mouth opening
Limited movements of jaw
Deviation of jaw
Difficulty in eating hard food
Recognising and treating bite issues and occlusal problems are usually not taught in depth in dental colleges. Dr. Shruti Goel, our principal dentist, has done various advanced courses to diagnose and treat such cases.
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