Joint Diseases

What are the Temporomandibular Joint Diseases?

Temporomandibular Diseases include a group of diseases which affects temporomandibular joints and muscles that helps chewing. 20-30% of the world population has this disease according to the researches. For women, rate of having this disease is higher.

The reasons of temporomandibular diseases are:

• Acute trauma (a sudden strike on the face or jaw)
• Chronic trauma (deliberately or involuntarily grinding teeth)
• Stress
• Malocclusion
• Temporomandibular joint arthritis
• Tumors in temporomandibular joint

Also, systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis may cause problems in temporomandibular joint.

What Are the Symptoms?

• Ache and sensitivity in front of the ears during daily activities such as talking, yawning, eating
• Feeling that the mouth will stay open or shut (sense of locking) during the same activities
• Pain and spasm in facial muscles
• Clicking and friction sound coming from temporomandibular joint while opening and shutting the mouth
• Pain which extends to head, neck and back from face
• Feeling tired when got up, waking up with pain
• Ringing in the ears, dizziness

If you have one or more of these symptoms, you should consult to your doctor about joint diseases.

How Is It Treated?

The reasons of disease are treated. One or more of these methods can be used:

• Soft diet, avoid opening the mouth too wide
• Physical therapy
• Appliance of occlusal splint

Occlusal Splints: They are totally different from occlusal (night) guards. While night guards prevent friction damages caused by grinding teeth in sleep, occlusal splints have a curative effect on temporomandibular joints and chewing muscles.

• Stress reducing activities
• Combined use of anti-inflammatory, painkiller and neuromuscular blocker
• Reorganize the occlusion
• Dealing with the loss of teeth
• Orthodontic treatment

Although it is rare, your doctor may resort to surgical operation if these treatments do not work.