Do you constantly suffer from headaches or pain in the jaw? If yes, then the chances are that you are suffering from one or more TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders. Even though a TMJ disorder, known as TMD, is not a life-threatening condition, it can still affect the quality of your life to a certain extent. Typically, TMJ disorders begin with a mild headache or jaw pain before it eventually progresses into a cacophony of painful migraines and or other problems that may be non-reversible.

Understanding TMJ Disorder

TMJ disorder or TMJ pain is a medical condition that affects the jaw joint. Whenever your TMJ is dysfunctional, you will experience a lot of pain during activities such as eating, speaking and yawning since the TMJ acts as a sliding hinge that connects your jawbone to the skull.

Symptoms, Signs, and the Usual Suspects of TMJ

If you think you have TMD, watch out for these tell-tale signs:

• Depending on the condition of the disease and the length of time, headaches from TMJ disorders can go from mild to debilitatingly painful. So often, they are mistaken for migraines because a TMJ disorder itself can cause such headaches.
• Since the TMJ is near the ear canal, any pain or inflammation that results from it can lead to an ear pain. If frequent earaches are bothering you on their own, the chances are that you could be having a TMJ disorder and not something else.
• When you open your jaw, does it emit a strange popping sound that is noticeable? If you are eating hard food that requires a lot of jaw movement, do you hear a clicking sound coming from your mouth? Does your ear go numb? Watch out for these are warning signs of TMD that you should not ignore.
• Jaw pain is one of the common symptoms associated with TMd sufferers since the pain can start from the temples and eventually spread across the entire length of the jaw. Although the pain is not excruciating, patients will still feel a sense of discomfort in their jaw alignment area.
• TMJ-related facial pain is due to inflammation of the temporomandibular joint since both of them go hand-in-hand together. When this happens, your entire face acts up. The pain may be found in the cheeks, under the eyes, or even the top side of your head.

What are the Long Terms Effects of TMJ disorders?

When left untreated, TMJ disorders can lead to a host of joint-related health problems such as:

• Permanent damage to your teeth.
• A misaligned jaw that alters your original facial structure.
• The risk of developing painful arthritis and rheumatism.

When to Contact a Doctor?

Get immediate help for your TMJ disorder if you feel prolonged pain in your jaw or your eating and drinking habits are affected.

Get the best TMJ Treatment from the Head Pain Institute

If you need some help with your TMJ disorder, come see our team at the Head Pain Institute. We are experts in treating issues related to the temporomandibular joint and will provide relief from your TMJ pain.