If you have heard of TMJ in
reference to the Jaw, then you may have also heard
of TMJD. TMJD,
often also known as TMD. TMJ stands
for Temporomandibular Joint.
TMJD stands for Temporomandibular Joint
Dysfunction and TMD stands for
Temporomandibular Dysfunction, both are the same
painful condition.
The Chiropractic Physicians at
Connecticut Family Chiropractic are especially to treat
TMJD. In fact, many Dental
Specialists including Oral Surgeons; refer their
patients for treatment of TMJDS to Connecticut Family
Chiropractic. We have been
successfully treating this disorder for nearly 20 years
with over a 99 percent success and patient satisfaction
rating. The treatment is soothing,
effective and often on the very first treatment, our
patients walk out with more flexibility and less
pain! Gentle effective treatments
often include gentle stretching procedures and soft
tissue and facial muscle massage as well as gentle
Physical Therapy treatments that may include soft
electrostimulation treatment, moist heat and ice
therapy. All of this usually takes
place within a 15 minute treatment!
We have treated over 1000 patients for this
painful debilitating condition.
What Exactly Is
TMJD?
Does it hurt when you chew, open wide
to yawn or use your jaws? Do you have pain or soreness
in front of the ear, in the jaw muscle, cheek, the teeth
or the temples? Do you have pain or soreness in your
teeth? Do your jaws make noises loud enough to bother
you or others? Do you find it difficult to open your
mouth wide? Does your jaw ever get stuck/locked as you
open it?
If you answered "yes" to some of
these questions, you may have a temporomandibular joint
disorder, or TMJD. TMJD is a group of conditions, often
painful, that affect the jaw joint.
Signs may include:
- Radiating pain in the face, neck,
or shoulders;
- Limited movement or locking of the
jaw;
- Painful clicking or grating when
opening or closing the mouth;
- A significant change in the way
the upper and lower teeth fit together;
- Headaches, earaches, dizziness,
hearing problems and difficulty swallowing.
Pain or discomfort in the jaw muscles
or joints often lasts for months and does not usually
improve without treatment. Pain often
occurs in cycles, it will worsen and then
improve. Often each time it worsens
it is a little worse. Many people
with TMJD pain, can develop chronic symptoms. Your
doctor of chiropractic can help you establish whether
your pain is due to TMJD and can provide conservative
treatment if needed.
What Causes
TMJD?
Researchers agree that TMJD falls
into three categories:
- Myofascial pain discomfort or pain
in the muscles of the jaw, neck, and shoulders;
- An incorrectly positioned or
displaced TMJ meniscus or disc;
- Degenerative joint disease
rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis in the jaw
joint.
Prior injury to the jaw including
direct trauma and even car accidents are leading causes
of TMJD. For example, anything from a hit in the jaw
during a sporting activity to overuse syndromes, such as
chewing gum excessively or chewing on one side of the
mouth too frequently, may cause TMJD.
Both physical and emotional stress
can lead to and cause TMJD to worsen. If you are feeling
tension in the jaw and you are going to the dentist, you
should let them know about this and they may consider
using medications during the procedure to minimize the
injury potential, or they may send the patient for
Chiropractic or Physical therapy immediately after
treatment. Sometimes, the Dentist may instruct
patients in exercises they can do at home to loosen up
the joint after the visit.
While emotional stress itself is not
usually a cause of TMJD, the way stress shows up in the
body can be. When people are under psychological stress,
they may clench their teeth, which can be a major factor
in their TMJD.
Some conditions once accepted as
causes of TMJD have been dismissed moderate gum chewing,
non-painful jaw clicking, orthodontic treatment (when it
does not involve the prolonged opening of the mouth, as
mentioned above), and upper and lower jaws that have
never fit together well. Popular theory now holds that
while these may be triggers, they are usually not direct
causes.
Women experience TMJD four times as
often as men. Several factors may contribute to this
higher ratio, posture may be a leading cause.
TMJD Diagnosis and
Treatment
To help diagnose or rule out TMJD,
our Chiropractic Physicians may measure your ability to
open your mouth by placing a thin wooden Tongue
Depressor in your mouth and gently bite down. You may
also be asked to open and close your mouth and chew
repeatedly while your doctor monitors the dimensions of
the jaw joint and the balance of the muscles. In
performing these tests and putting this together with a
full history of your complaint, our Doctors can
generally easily determine the signs of inflammation and
abnormalities that may be causing your TMJD. Sometimes
special imaging, an x-ray or an MRI may be needed to
help confirm the diagnosis.
If you have TMJD, our doctor at
Connecticut Family Chiropractic may recommend treatments
including, massage, applying heat/ice and special
exercises. In most cases, your doctor's first goal is to
relieve symptoms, particularly pain. If your doctor of
chiropractic feels that you need special appliances or
splints and other guards, he or she will refer you to
your dentist or orthodontist for co-management.
In addition to treatment, our Doctors
of Chiropractic can teach you how to:
- Apply heat and ice to
lessen the pain. Ice is recommended shortly
after the injury or after your pain has started. In
the later stages of healing, you may need to switch to
moist heat, especially if you are still experiencing
discomfort.
- Avoid harmful joint
movements. For example, chomping into a hard
apple is just as bad as crunching into hard candy
(some hard candies are even called "jawbreakers" for
good reason). And giant sandwiches can cause the mouth
to open too wide and have a destabilizing effect on
the jaw. In more painful cases,
your Chiropractic Physician and your Dentist or Oral
Surgeon may prescribe a soft diet for a short period
of time.
- Perform TMD-specific
exercises. Depending on your condition, our
Doctor may recommend stretching or strengthening
exercises. Stretching helps to loosen tight muscles
and strengthening helps to tighten muscles that have
become loose. Special feedback sensors in the jaw can
be retrained, in order to reduce the reoccurrence of
this painful condition.
We invite you please come to our
office and experience an excellent office environment
that keeps you in mind. We cater to
you and strive to help reduce your pain and teach you
about your condition so that you can help us to help
you! Please visit us here at
Connecticut Family Chiropractic soon! |
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