What is Temporomandibular Disorder?
There are millions of people that live across North America that regularly experience this disorder. It generally involves feeling chronic pain in the neck as well as in the face coupled with migraines or headaches. In some cases this chronic pain can be directly linked to this disorder and corrected using orthodontic methods.
The Temporomandibular joints are the main joints that connect your skull and your jawbone. For every action that your job makes when you chew, yawn, speak or even swallow the pain in these joints can lead to stiffness and restricted movement as well as add any number of the symptoms that were mentioned before.
The main symptoms to watch for with TMD:
A ringing noise in your ears or consistent pain in your ears like an ear infection.- Upper and lower job pain
- Ongoing muscle spasms with your Jaw
- Your teeth becoming misaligned or jaws realigning themselves.
- Your jaws regularly popping or clicking whenever they move.
- Your jaws locking up and movement in your job is becoming limited.
- Headaches and migraines as well as neck tenderness or aches.
If any of these symptoms are ongoing you should speak to a doctor right away, a doctor will be able to determine whether or not you’ve may have TMD and suggest some treatment options that can help you manage your symptoms.
Jaw pain might not always be TMD:
It is important to get checked out if you feel as though you may have TMD or jaw pain, but even if you feel these symptoms, TMD may not always be the cause. Here are some tips that can help you to maintain a healthy smile as well as eliminate pain in your jaws:
- Relax your face more often. Locking your jaws constantly can put extra strain on them.
- Try not to grind your teeth and seek preventative measures if you grind your teeth in your sleep.
- Try to limit your gum chewing.
- Rotate the side that you chew food on so that both sides of your job can become strong.
- Never use your neck to hold a phone as this can put extra strain on your jaws and neck.
- Work on your posture is this too can cause neck pain if you are sitting incorrectly for long time spans.
Although some people can develop TMD during orthodontic treatment there are a number of people who have never received orthodontic treatment who end up with TMD. The same symptoms are present no matter what type of work you have had done. If you are concerned that you may have TMD please contact our practice and we can answer any of your questions or book a consultation.
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