All About TMD, Headaches and Facial Pain:

If you get headaches or your jaw clicks...

It is estimated that 90 million Americans exhibit problems associated with their TMJ joints. Dentists now call this problem TMD (Temporo-Mandibular Dysfunction). This disorder expresses itself in a wide range of painful problems. TMD has been called ”the great impostor” because it mimics so many different medical diseases.

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptoms of jaw joint disorder are headaches, clicking/popping noises in the jaw and ringing/pain in the ears. Facial, neck and shoulder pain are frequent complaints. Some people will experience changes in the apparent health of their periodontal tissues (gums and supporting bone). Other individuals may demonstrate a gradual ‘chipping away’ or wearing down of enamel on front and back teeth.

How do I know if I have a serious problem?

Mostly, the presence of pain is the factor that gets people to seek treatment. Many of the symptoms may not be painful until the TMD problem becomes severe. You may have had a simple click for many years on one side of your jaw--- it simply never bothered you. Eventually, the jaw may begin to hurt in the morning after awakening. Frequent headaches are sometimes centered around the eyes and temples. If your bite just doesn’t feel right, you are probably experiencing this disorder.

I went to my regular physician and was told that nothing was wrong.

Medical doctors are not trained in the complex functions of the jaw and teeth. If no medical reason can be demonstrated, it is time to have us evaluate for TMD. Most TMD problems are directly related to the way the teeth touch each other (dental occlusion). If the teeth do not touch in a balanced manner, the facial muscles will eventually become sore. About 90% of the patients we treat have some kind of bite/muscle imbalance, which is easily treated. The remaining 10% tend to have more serious degenerative changes like arthritis within the jaw.

Why do I have this disorder?

Think of wearing a pair of shoes, where one of the shoes has a sharp stone inside. Every time your foot touches when you take a step, the stone irritates your foot. Eventually, the foot and leg will begin to hurt from walking with a sharp ‘interference”. This is what happens when the teeth bump into high spots when you bite, chew or grind your teeth. Your brain feels it as an “irritation” and the jaw muscles are forced to contract thousands of times a day to prevent the teeth from touching the bumps.