What is TMJ?

The website “TMJstatistics.com” provides the following description, which defines the problem and gives you an idea of the scope of the problem in the US (I don’t have statistics available for other countries):

“The most common cause of facial pain is temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder (TMJD), which causes recurrent or chronic pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and its associated muscles and supporting tissues. TMJD is the second most commonly occurring musculoskeletal condition resulting in pain and disability (after chronic low back pain), affecting approximately 5 to 12% of the population, with an annual cost estimated at $4 billion. About half to two-thirds of those with TMJ disorders will seek treatment. Among these, approximately 15% will develop chronic TMJD.”.

Frequently people with this disorder experience pain and stiffness or locking up in the jaw muscles as a sudden event, which can be triggered by multiple causes, but commonly it is preceded by chronic teeth clenching (see bruxism or teeth clenching syndrome) usually at night during sleep. Inflammation and swelling in the myofascial tissue that supports the jaw muscle is typical.

Appropriate TMJ specialists (TMJ dentists, neuromuscular dentists, and TMJ orthodontists are all qualified) should be consulted immediately in such an event. It is wise to seek multiple opinions as fast as possible, as there are different treatment paradigms and considerable variance in specific therapies used. Keep in mind this is a specialty within dentistry which is relatively new (most understanding has come in the last 10 years), so techniques and therapies are still evolving. If not handled properly with appropriate therapy expediently, the myofascial tissue can bind down over a period of weeks or months resulting in difficulty opening the jaw and limited range of motion. Lockdown of the jaw is more rare and the most serious symptom, as well as the most distressing — again, appropriate TMJ specialists should be consulted immediately .

But don’t be fooled into thinking TMJ symptoms are as straightforward as this. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If not diagnosed and treated, the underlying causes of TMJ, which are almost always include structural problems in the jaw and the bite, get worse, often slowly over many years (even decades). In such cases, a variety of serious medical conditions are likely to result, and these medical conditions extend far beyond the jaw — the entire muscular and skeletal system is affected, not to mention your mind (more on this later). In order to understand TMJ, you must truly understand the functional model of the human body — everything is interconnected and works together to function as a whole. An imbalance in a critical part of the muscular and skeletal system (arguably, nothing is more critical than the jaw — it’s where you breathe, eat, and talk, and it’s in your head!) must be counterbalanced elsewhere, and muscular tension, pain and dysfunction, and postural problems are the result. When you see TMJ specialists you’ll find they understand this principle at a very deep level — this is a core principle in all recent education they receive in TMJ.

In the next section, TMJ symptoms will be covered in detail.

Wow, this is intense!  How about some good news to cheer you up?

With prompt and optimal treatment starting quickly after the onset of symptoms, TMJ is reversible in most cases and can at least be made manageable in almost all cases. For those of you who already have chronic TMJ, don’t despair — tremendous strides have been made by TMJ specialists in recent years and treatment options have improved considerably.