TMJ syndrome affects the temporomandibular joint or joints, which connect the lower jaw to the skull. They are the joints below the ear. It is also called TMJ disorder.

Sometimes, the muscles, the joint, or the nerves cause problems, such as difficulty opening and closing the jaw properly, popping sounds when chewing, difficulty chewing, and/or pain. This is TMJ syndrome or TMJ disorder.

TMJ syndrome can be caused by a few things. The most obvious cause is trauma to the joint. This could mean obvious trauma like a punch to the area or something not as obvious as misaligned teeth, throwing off your bite, or grinding your teeth, especially at night. Other causes are problems with the bones such as arthritis. Stress has also been blamed for the development of TMJ syndrome, as has overwork of the jaw muscles, such as excessive gum chewing.

What are the symptoms?

• Biting or chewing problems
• Clicking sound while chewing or opening the mouth
•  Dull, aching facial pain
•  Earache
• Grating sensation, almost like bone on bone, while chewing
•  Headache
•  Jaw pain or tenderness of the jaw
•  Locking of the jaw, inability to open or close
•  Reduced ability to open or close the mouth

What can be done? 

There are several treatments that can be tried before resorting to surgery, which may be an option if absolutely necessary. The trick is to first determine what is the cause of the TMJ syndrome.

If the cause is stress, including grinding and/or clenching of the teeth, stress management would be the first place to start. If you chew gum excessively or do other things to keep your jaw tense, such as chewing your lip, an effort needs to be made to redirect these habits to ones that don’t affect the mouth. Relaxation techniques may also be helpful.

If teeth grinding is happening at night, perhaps a mouth plate, or bite plate, would help stop the grinding.

For those who overuse their jaw, chewing gum should stop or be limited, as should eating hard crunchy foods, such as peanuts, or chewy foods like chewy candies.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) may help reduce the pain, as may warm compresses to the area.

For more in-depth information, here are some sites that have reliable and up-to-date information:

The TMJ Association

MayoClinic.com

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TMJ syndrome