TMJD (Temporo Mandibular Joint Disorder) – Makati Dental Clinic or Dentist in Makati
Dr. Donna Harder-Ferraren
Do you have any of these symptoms?
Then you must have TMJD (Temporo Mandibular Joint Disorder)
Head pain; forehead, temples, migraine type, sinus type
Eyes; pain behind eyes, sensitivity to light
Ears; ear pain, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vertigo
Jaw; jaw joint pain, clicking and popping, pain in the cheek, limited opening of the mouth.
Teeth: clenching and grinding at night, loose and sore teeth.
Neck: stiff neck, neck pain, sore and tired muscles, numbness of fingers and arms.
Temporo-mandibular joint disorder, what are the causes and treatments.
TMJ disorder is caused by several factors. First it is caused by the imbalance of the bite due to missing molar teeth which helps to maintain the vertical height of the mouth itself.
Second cause can be the malocclusion of the bite. A person with class 2 malocclusion which is also known as the deep bite or overbite has the greater risk of getting TMJ disorder. This is because the vertical height is not sufficient to support the temporomandibular joint and overtime it wears off the supporting cartilage of the joint. A class 3 malocclusion also known as underbite or edge to edge bite is also a risk factor for TMJ disorder.
The
third cause of the disorder is stress related. When a person is stressed, it
tends to unknowingly clench his or her teeth together causing stress to the
joint.
Last factor could be the night grinding habit of a person known as bruxism that
tends to wears off the joints.
The
treatment of the disorder depends on the cause of it.
Here are the options of treatment or alleviation of TMJ disorder.
Temporary relief of the pain can be done by hot compress on the sides of the
face where the TMJ lies.
The most popular treatment is the occlusal or bite splint where the dentist
take a measurement of your teeth and get the proper relationship of the upper
and lower jaw (centric jaw relation). This is the most effective treatment so
far.
The ultimate treament is to get your teeth, jaw and muscles in harmony with each other by getting the teeth and jaw in centric relation. This is done braces treatment, construction of crowns or dental prosthesis (denture).