If you suffer from TMJ, or temporomandibular joint disorder, it is important to get to the root of the problem. Understanding why you experience pain or discomfort is important, so that you can address the problem, rather than treating the symptoms. Symptoms can range from chronic pain or clicking noises when you move your mouth, to headaches or chronic earaches. In all cases, proper diagnosis is key. Sometimes the reasons are obvious, especially when a direct blow to the area has occurred, but in other instances, it takes a bit of time to determine the exact cause of what is going on.

Injuries that Cause TMJ

Injuries occur to the mouth all of the time. When an injury affects the jaw, either causing displacement of the disk that holds the jawbone to the socket or creating an arthritic situation, TMJ can be a result. If the trauma to the jaw area is severe enough, it can cause the joint to fuse together, prohibiting any type of movement in the jaw at all. Sometimes the injury is obvious, in the event of a punch to the jaw or any type of direct impact in that area. But other times, it might be an indirect blow, such as impact to the ear region that causes the inflammation in the jaw. The symptoms are not always a direct indicator into what is wrong, especially if there is no pain in the jaw and the pain radiates to the ear instead. To make matters even more complicated, in some cases, it is not a spontaneous injury, but more of a case of arthritis, whether rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, that causes difficulty with movement of the joint, resulting in pain.

Stress Causes TMJ

Sometimes TMJ is strictly brought on by stress. In these cases, there is no injury or direct blow to the area, but more of a constant clenching of the jaw during stressful times or grinding of the teeth while sleeping. The constant clenching of the muscles causes them to eventually begin to have spasms, causing difficulty with jaw movement.

When you have pain in the jaw area, including the ears or suffer from chronic popping of the jaw and have difficulty chewing, it is important to seek medical attention to get a full evaluation of what is happening. TMJ is not something to ignore as the situation will only worsen without proper treatment.

To find out more about TMJ, contact Hilliard Ohio TMJ expert Dr. Mark Levy at (614) 915-0165 to schedule a free consultation.