Unlocking the Mysteries Behind Painful Jaw Disorder

The condition is encountered by between 5 and 15 percent of Americans, which is as many as 45 million people, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the federal National Institutes of Health.

If jaw problems are indeed caused by TMJD, the person with the most answers is likely a neuromuscular dentist. These experts examine and treat all of the interlocking elements that enable your jaw and mouth to function, namely, the hard and soft tissues, and interlocking nerves and muscles of the jaw. They also examine your temporomandibular joint, which acts as a connector between your upper and lower jaws, and treat it if it’s functioning improperly.

Several of TMJD’s most common symptoms – many of which make exact diagnosis difficult – are early-morning headaches; insomnia; jaw clicking, locking or popping; unexplainable stuffiness or earaches; pain behind your eyes; continuous ringing in the ears; loose and/or inexplicably painful teeth; finger tingling; jaw stiffness; persistent and surprising neck or shoulder; and chronic migraines.

Before turning to a neuromuscular dentist, you can first try several home remedies. First, avoid hard-to-chew foods, such as apples, steak, and crusty bread. Instead, choose cooked whole grains, soft fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish, etc. Second, use ice packs on your temples for 10 minutes, three or four times a day. Third, sleep on your side or back. Sleeping on your stomach can aggravate TMJD.

Fourth, be aware of your posture. Sit and stand straight. When you sit, don’t rest your chin on the palm of your hand. Fifth, when you yawn, put your fist underneath your jaw to prevent your mouth from opening too wide. Sixth, use your hand, not your shoulder, to hold the telephone.

In the area of research, scientists at the University of Maryland Dental School have undertaken a seven-year, $17 million study of 3,400 study subjects in order to finally establish the cause and effect, and point to possible cures for temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJD).

Professor and chair of the Department of Neural and Pain Sciences at the Dental School, Joel Greenspan, PhD, claims that most people know someone with the disorder or have heard their doctor suggest that a pain may be TMJD. However, he says that there is often little or nothing physically wrong that can be identified. Often, the pain is not exclusively focused or limited to the jaw.

Historically, doctors have routinely recommended surgery to try and correct TMJD, however surgery is no longer a leading recommendation. Other dental treatments include filing teeth down to make them fit better in the bite, or using dental appliances or even out the bite. However, Greenspan notes that sometimes grinding makes the situation worse and may not be answer. Noninvasive techniques are better recommended, such as appliances or stress reducing activities like exercise or yoga.

One key mystery of the disorder is that the pain is not necessarily focused around the jaw, while another is that the pain is not related to the extent of tissue damage. Greenspan isn’t surprised by this and says the pain is a result of multiple systems not performing optimally. He says the three factors that cause the underlying pain are genetics, psychology, and physiology.