TMJ Syndrome—Jaw Pain and Clicking is Not Normal.
by Dr. Nicolas Campos
![]() What is the TMJ?
The TMJ can be found just forward to and below the ears. If you place your fingers in this area and open and close your mouth, you can feel the joint moving. Rubbing in this area can be very painful in people suffering from TMJ syndrome. The TMJ is controlled by three muscles—the temporalis, the masseters, and inside the mouth, the medial and lateralpterygoids. These muscles are also known as the muscles of mastication or chewing muscles. Together they provide the greatest force per surface area of all human movements. The TMJ has a distinction of being one of the few that is both synovial (freely moving) and containing a disk. It is controlled by cranial nerve V, but runs along the same pathways as several nerves of the neck, so TMJ syndrome can also cause neck pain and vice versa. What is TMJ syndrome?So what is TMJ syndrome exactly? TMJ syndrome encompasses many different disorders, the most common by far is a musculoskeletal pain syndrome. Eighty percent of all TMJ disorders are muscular in nature. The muscles of mastication have sensory nerve fibers, so when jaw pain is present, it originates from these muscles. As a result, the best way to treat jaw pain is by treating the involved muscles.
Overworked pterygoid muscles pull on the jaw, leading to a feeling of tightness or jaw pain. This becomes a vicious cycle as it leads to an abnormal bite further causing tightness. You can see if you have tight pterygoid muscles by looking in the mirror, smiling so that your teeth show, and then slowly opening your mouth to completion. If you see your jaw deviate to one side or the other during jaw opening, you have tight pterygoid muscles. Very often people with TMJ syndrome have an alteration in deviation of the jaw—that is, they will see their jaw move from one side to the other one or more times during opening. The side that the jaw ends up on is the tighter and thus dysfunctional side. TMJ can cause the following symptoms
Many people with TMJ syndrome present to doctors offices with neck pain that is unresponsive to most traditional treatments (over-the-counter pain medication, chiropractic adjustments, neck massage). Once TMJ syndrome is diagnosed, there are several ways in which it can be alleviated. Treating TMJ syndromeIf you have jaw pain, clicking or popping of the jaw, or chronic neck pain or headaches, TMJ syndrome is the likely cause. If you choose to see a chiropractor—and if you are in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, you can call my office—you’ll get treated in the following manner: You will first receive a full workup including an evaluation of your spine and muscles surrounding the neck. You will have your jaw and bite evaluated. Once TMJ syndrome is determined, you will have all your subluxations adjusted. You will have your neck muscles massaged, stretched and evaluated for weakness. If muscular weakness is evident, you will receive exercises to correct it. Your posture will also be evaluated and corrected if necessary. Then we go into the jaw. Relaxing the tight jaw muscles, the pterygoids, requires going into the mouth with the doctor’s finger. The muscles are then massaged until they relax. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to relax them on each session, approximately one minute. The first couple of sessions can be a little uncomfortable, but over time the muscles become looser, freeing up the jaw. Once the pterygoid muscles are relaxed, the jaw regains an incredible amount of movement. The jaw becomes lighter and pain subsides significantly. Popping and clicking reduce immediately, and can be completely eliminated over a few sessions. This treatment protocol gets results: In my Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood chiropractic clinic, I treat hundreds of people for this disorder every year. Not only do they feel better immediately, the results are lasting, and ultimately it saves money. The alternatives are less safe, less effective, and include surgery or doing nothing. Surgery has varied results, and doing nothing ultimately costs more in fixing cracked teeth, crowns and sometimes braces. Getting treated by a chiropractor is a great, conservative approach, much better than the other two options. Preventing TMJ syndrome
Chewing hard objects, cracking nut shells or sunflower seeds, or opening beer bottles with the teeth can also lead to TMJ syndrome. Discontinuing these activities also does wonders in alleviating jaw pain. But by far the most common cause of TMJ syndrome is the clenching of one’s teeth unconsciously. As I mentioned earlier, clenching the jaw is known as bruxism. It usually occurs without the clencher being aware of it, most often at night during sleep. Take it from a jaw clencher, this dysfunction can cause many problems in the mouth. I find that clenchers tend to be people that deal with a lot of stress. This is not a hard, fast rule, but it has been my observation. Clenchers release stress as they sleep, and the most effective way to do this, the body has found, is to clench the teeth.
TMJ syndrome is a common disorder that causes pain and dysfunction, and could end up costing you lots of money over the years. There is an answer: Safe, effective chiropractic care can do wonders in reducing jaw pain, eliminating clicking and popping of the jaw, and save your teeth from painful, costly wear and tear that can lead to tooth loss over time. If you want proven results, want to save money, and discover a great way to preserve your health, visit your local chiropractor today. -August 17, 2009 |