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Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
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The Temporomandibular Joint is responsible for connecting the lower maxilla to the cranium and for the movement of the jaw. Hence its great importance in all oral function, and the reason why this joint is a surprisingly frequent cause of consultation, causing: joint noise (clicks or cracks) when opening and closing the mouth, limited opening (trismus), earache, toothache and other diverse types of facial pain.
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Bruxism
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Many symptoms relating to TMJ are caused by effects from physical and emotional stress on the structures close to the joint. These structures include the muscles of the jaw, face and neck; the teeth; the cartilaginous disc in the joint and the ligaments, blood vessels and nearby nerves.
For example, daily stress may lead someone to clench or grind their teeth, both during the day and at night while sleeping. This stressful force exercises pressure on the muscles, tissues and other structures around the jaw.
Many people who clench their teeth, also grind them. The latter is when a person slides their teeth against each other, generally in side to side or front to back movements. This action can erode the teeth and produce sufficient noise to disturb those sleeping nearby.
Poor posture can also be an important factor. For example, keeping the head tipped forward throughout the day whilst looking at a computer screen can tense the muscles of the face and neck.
Bruxism is the involuntary habit of clenching or grinding the dental structures without functional purpose. Bruxism affects between 10 to 20% of the population and can lead to headaches and pain in the muscles of the jaw, neck and ear.
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Dental guard or splint
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Treatment of bruxism is related to the risk of dental injury and potential effect on the muscles. In advanced cases, it is necessary to wear rigid resin dental protection, known as a dental guard or splint, to avoid permanent damage and erosion of the teeth. What’s more, the dental guard, from the very first days of use, eliminates pain in the jaw, headaches and earaches, as well as any other discomfort that may have appeared due to overloading the muscles of the joint.
The patient uses it at night when sleeping, as this is when the habit takes place most commonly and subconsciously in the majority of cases, although it can also be used during the day, when the patient undertakes tasks which may cause him or her to experience certain tension, such as driving, being in front of the computer...
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| Erosion through bruxism |
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Dental guard |
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TMJ Luxation
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This consists of the hyperextension of the TMJ, which leads to the dislocation of the disc, fixing the joint in an open position. It can happen during a wide yawn or when the muscles fatigue from maintaining the mouth open for a long period of time, as happens during prolonged dental treatments.
The signs and symptoms of TMJ luxation include:
- Inability to close the mouth.
- Increase in salivation.
- Spasms of the masticator muscles.
- Severe pain at the level of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
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Recommendations and treatment
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Many of the personal care measures for treating TMJ problems can prevent such problems. For example:
- Maintain good posture, especially if the person works in front of a computer all day. Frequent pauses are recommended to change position, rest the hands and arms and relieve the stressed muscles.
- Learn relaxation techniques to reduce general stress and muscular tension.
- Avoid eating hard foods and chewing gum.
- Sleep well.
- Use safety measures to reduce the risk of fractures and dislocations.
Generally the simple and gentle therapies are recommended to begin with, but if they do not work, then use of more aggressive therapies may be considered. Surgery is generally considered to be a last resort and fortunately there are many measures that can be taken in the home before reaching that point.
You can try to massage the various muscles involved. This should be done various times a day until the muscle no longer causes a sensation of pain when pressing upon it.
Other home therapies are useful for some people, such as the application of hot or cold packs on the face. Vitamin supplements. Likewise, exercising several times a week can help a person to relax, to strengthen the body, increase flexibility and increase the pain threshold. Muscle relaxants can also help in phases of acute pain.
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