"TMJ" - Initials That Stand For Lots Of Unpleasant Things

OK, let's talk about pain. Wait! Don't run – stay with me a minute. I'm not talking about toothache pain. I'm talking about something more subtle. Tons of people live with this kind of pain most days or even every day and can't figure out why. Their doctors tell them different things depending on the doctor's specialty (when you are a hammer everything looks like a nail).

The chronic discomfort makes people depressed and sometimes a little desperate. Patients sometimes tell me they feel as if they are going crazy. They change they way they eat and they avoid foods that make them hurt. Sometimes they take medications, often strong medications, to get some relief.

A surprising percentage of the time, the problem turns out to be what dentists who know about this call "TMJ" (it has other names like "TMD" and "Myofascial Pain Dysfunction syndrome"). They are all pretty much the same thing and the name doesn’t matter if you have it.

Do you have any of these symptoms?

• Frequent headaches, including what has been diagnosed as "migraine".
  
• Clicking or pain in the jaw joints.
  
• Pain or difficulty when opening or closing the mouth.
  
• Pain, ringing, or fullness in the ears.
  
• Neck, shoulder, and/or facial pain.
  
• Eye pain or visual disturbances.

Some things that can cause this are:

• Trauma to the jaw.
• Teeth clenching or grinding (bruxism), especially in sleep.
• Improper bite alignment.
• Overactivity of the motor and sensory nerves that connect to the muscles of your face, which sets off spasms in those muscles.

Sound familiar? If it does, you may have TMJ.

You'd be amazed how many people have this. It shouldn't be ignored, because it gets worse over time.

Call our office. Send e-mail. We'll take you seriously. We'll review your history, conduct a gentle thorough examination, and discuss our findings. If you do have TMJ problems, we'll help get you feeling better again.

We have a special interest and special training in the the treatment of these special problems. You can feel comfortable again. Don’t live with chronic pain or dysfunction any longer. Relief could be just a few visits away.

So You Think You Have Migraine? Maybe Not!

For years I've been telling patients who are taking medication (a polite name for drugs) for migraine headaches that they may not actually have migraine.

What, you say?

No, really.

This month, Redbook Magazine, the ultimate source for dental and medical information, had an article about the four most frequently misdiagnosed syndromes. Guess what number 2 was.

2. Headaches and/or ringing or aching ears, plus aching back, neck, and/or teeth.

The doctor says: It's migraines (or an ear disorder).

It could be: Temporomandibular joint syndrome. The temporomandibular joint (say it three times fast) are the two jaw joints in front of your ears.

When this joint, which connects your jaw and skull, becomes inflamed, the pain radiates and causes headaches and pain in your face. And sometimes TMJ problems are really chewing muscle problems, where the muscles that move your lower jaw get stressed out. This often happens when you clench or grind your teeth in your sleep.

It hurts! It makes you avoid chewing foods that are not soft or that take a lot of chewing to get down.

And it can give you headaches. Sometimes bad ones. And sometimes your M.D. will call it migraine and give you drugs.

TMJ is best treated by a dentist with training in this stuff. We have a special interest in this and have helped a ton of patients become comfortable. Without strong drugs. Without jaw joint surgery.

Maybe you are the one who fits this situation.

I hope this blog was helpful. We'd be glad to talk with you if you have questions or want to explore help.