You might be asking, “TMJ what?” TMJ has become a popular acronym for temporomandibular joint and is used to refer to the painful and annoying condition that affects this area of our jaw. TMJ also refers to the different sets of conditions that can cause pain in the jaw joint, as well as its associated muscles. TMJ can affect either of or both your jaw joints and can cause difficulty in eating, chewing, biting, talking, making facial expressions, swallowing, and even breathing.

Temporamandibular joint disorders can fall into three main categories. Myofascial pain is a discomfort in the muscles that control our jaw function and can extend to our neck and shoulder muscles. Internal derangement of the joint involves the displacement of the disc that acts as a cushion in the area between our lower jaw and our skull. Various form of inflammatory joint diseases or arthritis can also cause pain in our jaw joint. It is possible for us to suffer from one or more of these conditions all at the same time.

The most common TMJ symptoms include pain felt in our facial muscles and jaw joints that may radiate to our neck or shoulders, muscle spasm in the aforementioned areas of the body, and pain felt while talking, chewing or yawning. TMJ symptoms can also be in the form of ear pain, ringing in the ears, hear loss (not due to infection), clicking or popping or grating sounds while moving your jaw joints, swelling in the on the side of the face or mouth where the affected jaw joint is located, lockjaw, difficulty in opening the mouth, shifting of the jaw when opened, difficulty in swallowing, headache, and dizziness.

It can be quite tricky to determine whether you are suffering from a TMJ disorder or some other health condition. But if you notice you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, it is best that you seek the advice of your doctor right away. If your doctor suspects TMJ, he or she might refer you to a TMJ specialist or an orthodontist.

Find out more aboutTMJ disease and learn more about treatment with online articles. Research as much as you can on TMJ diseases and stop living in pain from day to day. Too many people just accept TMJ as part of life, you don’t have to settle for that pain. Look into a cure today.