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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.

Facial Pain: Could It Be TMJ Disorder?

Facial pain and jaw pain can be the result of a range of health problems. If the patient has a sore jaw, a TMJ diagnosis is particularly likely. TMJ disorders are jaw problems caused by swelling deep within the jaw joint.

But before seeking treatment for temporomandibular disorder from a TMJ specialist, you need to know if TMJ dysfunction is the cause of your facial pain - and that involves ruling out other possibilities.

Face pain can be a result of dental problems such as an infection or an abscessed tooth, or it can result from jaw alignment problems. Dental treatment, sometimes including orthodontics, can relieve tooth pain.

Pain in the face can also be the result of sinusitis or sinus infection. When it comes to the head and face, where you feel the pain may not actually be the source. Jaw trouble can lead to headaches, or a tooth abscess may masquerade as jaw pain.

Oh, and getting hit in the face can definitely lead to facial pain!

If it's not any of these, it might well be TMJ disorder. The other diagnosis to consider is trigeminal neuralgia, an alarmingly painful nerve problem that leads to the sensation of sharp pain in the face, even with the smallest stimulus. Treatments are available, but the condition is commonly considered one of the most painful that exist.

+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.