When a person has problems with the jaw joint, it is often called TMJ syndrome.

More recently the term “Temporo-mandibular Pain Disorder Syndrome” (TMPDS) has also been used in medical literature.

TMJ disorder is often overlooked or misdiagnosed.

Although many people with TMJ have been diagnosed there are still millions of people worldwide that have TMJ disorders that have not been accurately diagnosed.

TMJ disorder can cause any of the following symptoms:

• Pain, clicking or popping in the jaw;

• Difficulty opening or closing the mouth;

• Inability to open the mouth fully or yawn;

• Pain around the ear or ringing in the ear; or

• Headache, dizziness or even nausea.

TMJ disorder has been around forever, but has only recently been recognized and treated successfully.

The diagnosis is often overlooked.

The problem can come from injury, such as a fall, assault or a motor-vehicle collision; chronic positional problems while sleeping; degenerative joint issues; strain during a dental or surgical procedure; trying to eat something too big or too hard; teeth alignment problems; habitual teeth grinding; or tooth pathology.

It is common for people with TMJ symptoms to also have problems with the muscles or joints of the neck.

Often they will exhibit what is known as anterior head position.

This means that when viewed from the side in a normal standing posture, the head is positioned farther forward than normal.

They will often have painful muscle spasm in the neck, shoulders or upper back. They may have difficulty turning their head easily.

The function of the spinal joints of the upper back and the neck are interrelated to the function of the facial muscles and the jaw joints.

In a perfectly balanced, fully functioning musculo-skeletal system there are synchronous movement patterns that involve all of the muscles in the neck and head, including the TMJ.

When an injury has occurred, such as a strain or sprain, muscles often develop odd patterns of compensation.

Muscle spasm and joint dysfunction will often result.

The TMJ is particularly vulnerable to this type of functional disturbance, due to the fact that it is such a versatile joint.

While most joints in the body can only move in limited directions, the TMJ is a compound joint that allows a wide range of movements to accommodate speech, facial expression, chewing and swallowing.

Diagnosing TMJ disorder may be straightforward, but sometimes can be frustratingly difficult.

X-rays, physical examination or other testing may be required for an accurate diagnosis.

The diagnosis may be made by a physician, dentist or chiropractor.

As you will see below, it may require the services of two or three of these specialists to correct.

Once it has been determined that a patient has TMJ, a decision must be made about the best treatment approach.

In extreme cases surgery may be required.

For example, 10 years ago I had a patient that had been referred to my office from a dentist in Alabama that had congenitally elongated mandibles (jaw bones).

There was no possible solution except to surgically correct the defect. In the great majority of cases surgery will not be required.

In some cases, a teeth alignment problem called malocclusion can be causing the jaw problem.

This can be corrected by an orthodontist.

The patient may wear braces for a period of three to five years.

Occasionally a simple dental problem may be causing TMJ issues and normal dental procedures can resolve the complaint quickly.

More often, there is a problem affecting the muscles and ligaments of the joint, alignment and function of the joint structures or other bio-mechanical issues.

In these cases, the correction might involve the services of a dentist and a chiropractor.

Careful manual manipulation of the joint can often result in dramatic relief.

It is becoming more common for dental professionals and chiropractors to work together to resolve TMJ problems.

Our office has been receiving TMJ referrals from local dentists and from outside the area for two decades.

This cooperation between professionals improves outcomes and benefits patients.

Dr. Mark Kestner

www.DrKestner.com