All joints in your body comprise muscles, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves. These tissues work together to help your TMJs function smoothly. An imbalance of these soft tissues can result in inflammation, restricted blood flow, pain, and loss of jaw movement. Dysfunction within your TMJs is one type of TM Disorders. Some TMDs can involve muscles, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and the nerves.  Patients often have multiple kind of Temporomandibular Disorders at the same time.

Below are some potential causes of jaw pain and TMJ dysfunction: 

• Dental trauma resulting in injury to your TMJ.
• Jaw clenching and teeth grinding at night or daytime. 
• Stress.
• Malocclusion or other teeth problems.
• Arthritis within the TMJ.
• Medications (SSRI).

While TMJ disorder can present various symptoms, the most commonly reported ones include:

• Frequent headaches and migraines. 
• Earaches and ringing in your ears.
• Jaw pain. 
• Clicking or popping sounds when you open and close your mouth.
• Restricted jaw movement or painful movement.
• Facial, throat, teeth, neck or back pain. 

Surgeons typically reserve surgery for very severe cases of TM disorders, making it the last resort for treatment. Dr. Evans and our team will recommend less invasive treatments before considering surgery. 

TMD treatment depends greatly on the cause of your condition. Some Phase I treatments Dr. Evans may recommend are splint therapy, closed-lock injections to unlock the TMJ, therapeutic injections, Regenerative injections, Botox, and physical therapy.  

Only about 10% of patients need Phase II. If one needs it, then the possibilities are orthodontics, occlusal equilibration, long–term splint, overlay onlays, full–mouth reconstruction of the teeth, or orthognathic surgery. 

Wearing a TMD splint, an oral appliance for sleep apnea, or a nightguard at night can help prevent or manage TMJ symptoms.  These appliances prevent the “micro-traumas” that occur within the TMJs from nighttime bruxism (clenching or grinding of teeth). 

Jaw exercises can help ease pain, improve jaw flexibility, and get you out of the habit of bruxism. We also recommend avoiding eating hard foods or chewing gum, which forces your jaw muscles to work harder.