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New Responses to TMJ Disorder and Jaw Pain

Some 10 million people suffer from some form of TMJ Disorder: from jaw clicking or jaw popping whenever they yawn to intense migraine-like pain in the area around their ears. The temporomandibular joint is the hinge between your jaw and skull. The bone and muscles permit your jaw to move—not just up and down, but left and right, in and out. This kind of complexity is what makes TMJ Syndrome so common, and often so difficult to diagnose.

Helping You Solve the Problem

Modern dentistry has a whole array of TMJ Disorder responses—so your first response should be to make an appointment.

For some people, the answer may be a custom-fitted mouth guard to keep them from teeth grinding in their sleep. There’s even a battery-powered miniature sensing device, worn at night, to alert you when grinding occurs. Another plug-in device helps eliminate spasms and jaw pain by applying moist heat to the source of the pain for several minutes at a time.

If the problem stems from tooth alignment, orthodontic treatment can relieve the stress. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and stress management are all possibilities. The key, as always, is identifying the problem and then finding the response that works best for you.

Possible causes of TMJ Disorder

• Nightly teeth grinding (bruxism)
• Poor head/shoulder posture, causing tension in neck and jaw muscles
• Arthritis in the joint
• Damaged jawbone/joint structure
• Nerves being pinched by ball of jaw

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

TMJ Symptoms - Headaches and Jaw Pain Can be Relieved

One out of every 10 Americans suffers from chronic headaches, and they spend over half a billion dollars every year for over-the-counter medications to relieve their pain.

They never imagine that their headaches may be caused by TMJ, and that their pain is the result of a bad bite.

A bad bite can put your jaw-to-skull relationship out of alignment. When this happens, TMJ symptoms occur. This cluster of TMJ symptoms can include: headaches, earaches, ear ringing, loud jaw clicking, even stiffness and pain in the jaw, neck, shoulders and back. This cluster has puzzled doctors in the past. Now we can put a name to it: TMJ.

According to recent studies, more than 40 million Americans suffer from TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder) or MPD (Myofascial Pain Dysfunction). The good news is dentists are taking the lead in finding solutions.

If you, or someone you love, suffer from the symptoms of TMJ, set up an appointment with your dentist soon. You may find that TMJ is the missing piece in the puzzle -- and, that the treatment works!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.