What You Should Know About Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction
Posted on 2/20/2023 by Evan |
 The temporomandibular joint disorder, also known as TJD, refers to a condition that mainly affects the ligaments and jaw joints together with adjoining muscles. The condition is chronic or acute and may lead to severe or mild pain in most cases.
What Causes Temporomandibular Joint Disorder?
The temporomandibular joint disorder has many causes, such as physical injuries, autoimmune diseases, clenching or grinding teeth while sleeping, joint arthritis, acute trauma, infections, disc dislocation between socket joint and ball, dental surgery, and stress.
Besides, things like hormonal, generic, and environmental can cause TJD. For example, research shows that violinists have a high chance of experiencing TJD than other people since they hold instruments beneath their jaws, causing strain. However, the rate at which women encounter TJD is higher compared to men. Researchers say this could be due to hormonal causes.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Symptoms
People with TJD experience a lot of discomfort and pain, which can last for years or for a short time. TJD can affect one side of the face or both sides. The disorder mainly affects young people from 20 years to 40 years, and it's more common in women than men.
Some common TJD symptoms include pain in the jaw joint area, face, shoulders, and neck. You will also experience pain in the ear when speaking, chewing, or opening your mouth. You will also have difficulty in chewing, swelling on your face and tiredness feeling on your face, tooth pain, and ringing inside your ears. Besides, you will encounter sounds like popping, clicking, and grating in the jaw joint anytime you open or close your mouth, headaches, earaches, and backaches
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Treatment
TJD treatment varies from self-care practices and conservative treatment to open surgery. However, surgery is the last resort after exhausting other treatments and non-surgical therapies. The treatments for TJD are eating soft foods, avoid chewing gum, avoid tensing or clenching your jaws, wearing a night guard, and taking medication. Trigger-joint injection, ultrasound, and radio wave therapy, arthrocentesis, arthroscopy, and open-joint surgery also treat TJD.
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