Temporomandibular joint pain

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction affects the joint that connects your skull and lower jaw. A disc separates the two bones in this joint and helps maintain smooth movements of the joint. If the disc is misaligned or the joint is damaged, you would experience severe pain in the region of the joint on either side of your face. If this pain goes unchecked at this point it would further progress to the other parts of the face, shoulders, and even your back.

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Joint clicks

The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) or jaw joint enables us to perform a wide range of jaw movements. The muscles connected to the joint (masticatory muscles) help in its smooth functioning. A disc present inside the joint acts like a cushion absorbing all the pressure on the joint, letting the jaw move to its maximum capacity. Sometimes noises are heard from the region of your TMJ in front of your ear when you move your lower jaw, which includes a clicking or grating sound while chewing or a popping sound when you yawn and this is usually an indication that the smooth movements of your joint have been compromised and that you should consult a TMJ disorder specialist.

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Jaw stiffness

Various muscles contribute to the smooth functioning of the Temporomandibular Joint which includes muscles from your face all the way to your hip. When these muscles are overworked or hyperactive, especially if you tend to clench during the day or grind your teeth in your sleep, your jaw muscles will feel stiff or sore causing difficulty in the movements of your jaw.

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 Jaw deviation

Ideally, when one opens and closes their mouth, the lower jaw must move straight without any shift to the left or right side. This kind of deviation can be checked by looking into the mirror and opening and closing the mouth. Deviation could occur because of an altered position of the disc present in the TMJ, because of which the facial muscles try and compensate for the displacement of the disc. The muscles on one side overstretch so that one is still able to move the jaw but in an altered pattern. At this point, if the temporomandibular joint is not checked and treated, the symptoms would increase, literally hampering one's daily activities.

 

Restricted mouth opening

A complete opening of the mouth would mean opening beyond 35mm (the gap between upper and lower teeth when you open) which is maybe a little greater than the width of 3 fingers. The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) which connects your lower jaw to your skull acts as a sliding hinge joint, allowing you to easily open and close your mouth. If you feel any limitation in this movement it would be due to damage in the TMJ or the muscles associated with the TMJ and advocates an immediate consultation with your TMJ disorder specialist.

 

Facial asymmetry

TMD is caused when there is an imbalance among the components of the Temporomandibular Joint. Although this imbalance begins as an internal phenomenon before you know it, it has progressed to cause various alterations in your face and body, one among them being facial asymmetry.  We can help you, by treating the underlying temporomandibular joint disorder without surgery and medicines, thereby relieving your pain and also improving your facial profile naturally, which is a bonus of our treatment.

 

Jaw lock

Have you had a frightful experience where your lower jaw gets stuck after you open your mouth wide or yawn? Or your jaw getting locked causing difficulty to open your mouth wide enough to consume and chew your food? This happens due to a displaced disc in your left or right TMJ or both, which will also cause a lot of pain and related complications.

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Facial pain

Some people feel sudden excruciating pain on one side of the face or on a particular part of the face like around the eyes and mouth. And what makes it scarier is when you don't know what's causing it. Based on common understanding, severe facial pain is usually the result of an injury to a nerve from a medical condition, an accident, or some surgery. But, most often facial pain can arise from a TMJ disorder in which the strained/overworked muscles can cause a compression of nearby nerves and blood vessels and can be successfully treated without surgery if identified earlier. Hence if u have tried various treatment options suggested by different specialists and have had no relief, do consider seeing a TMJ specialist.

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