What is "TMJ" or "TMD"?
"TMJ", is a catch-all term for a variety of pain / dysfunction conditions of the head and neck. It was originally derived from "Temporomandibular Joint", your jaw joints - once thought to be the source of most of these ailments.
Today we know that there are many causes of head and neck problems that may or may not be related to the temporomandibular joint. For this reason, although it is not as widely familiar, most dentists use "TMD" (for temporomandibular disorders) to more accurately describe the condition.
The chart below lists some of the symptoms of TMD.
Musculoskeletal Signs and Symptoms
|Headaches||Clenching or grinding|
|Jaw joint pain||Facial pain|
|Jaw joint noise or clicking||Sensitive teeth|
|Limited mouth opening||Chewing difficulties|
|Ear congestion||Neck pain|
|Ringing in the ears||Tingling of the fingertips|
|Difficulty swallowing||Hot & cold sensitivity of teeth|
|Loose teeth||Nervousness or insomnia|
New technology now allows us to objectively evaluate the muscles of the head and neck and various other factors that may be affecting your bite. Based on this and other information obtained from physical examination, we can rule in or rule out your bite as a possible cause of TMJ problems or headache pain with a high degree of confidence.
You can learn more about TMD by clicking here. The page you are about to access requires that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. Most computers already have that installed. If you don't, you can click on the icon below to download and install a free copy of that software.