TMJ Treatment
It may seem unlikely, but unexplained headaches often can be a dental problem, as a great many people with Temporomandibular Dysfunction (TMD) have learned.
Named for the temporomandibular joint, TMD is better known in lay terms as TMJ. By either name, however, it can be the cause of a variety of troubling symptoms. These range from those headaches-typically in the temporal area in front of and above the ears, or at the back of the neck-to jaw pain, soreness in the facial muscles, or a feeling of “tightness” in the face upon awakening that takes a while to go away.
To understand TMD/TMJ, you need to know that the relationship between our jaw joints and how our teeth fit together influences both comfort and appearance.
Ideally, both of our jaw joints are in perfect position and we close our teeth together, all teeth would touch at the same time with equal intensity. When one or both of our jaw joints move in any direction, our back teeth would immediately come apart and our front teeth would guide our jaw movement when any teeth are touching until the jaw joints are all the way back to full closure. This natural ‘bio-engineering’ provides the most stable, harmonious environment for the jaw joints, the teeth, the muscles, ligaments, gum tissues, and bone.
For many people, though, the fit is far from ideal.
When this system is operating in an uncoordinated fashion, we find that human beings have a variety of abilities to adapt. Some of the manifestations commonly seen are wear on teeth, loose teeth, broken teeth, cracked teeth, gum tissue recession, bone loss around teeth, sore muscles in the face, temples and neck, headaches, stretched ligaments in the joints, and other degenerative effects. It is this group of maladies that is termed TMD.
The good news is you don’t have to simply live with the condition, or its effects. All of these conditions can be remedied with TMD treatment-and should be, especially if you are considering aesthetic restorative dentistry and want a stable result.
