What is the Temporomandibular Joint?
Where Your Smile Begins
Calgary, Alberta
The temporomandibular joint is the jaw joint. You can feel it if you place a finger in front of each ear and open and close your mouth. These joints are where the lower jaw (mandible) connects to the upper jaw (maxilla). The upper jaw is a fixed part of the skull. (If you place a finger below the ear and open the mouth you are feeling the movement of the lower jaw’s angle, not the jaw joint itself.)
If you have chronic headaches, facial pain, or any bite problems, your jaw alignment may be causing them. They may be out of alignment. This is a condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. It is abbreviated as TMD or TMJ, although TMJ is also used to refer to the joint itself rather than the disorder.
More About the Jaw Joints
The jaws are connected with a ball-and-socket like joint, where the lower jaw has a round knob that fits smoothly into a concave area of the upper jaw. There is cartilage between the two bone surfaces to cushion their movement and prevent them from grinding against each other, which would be painful.
The jaw joint is the most flexible joint in the body. It has three movement directions:
- Up and down
- Sideways
- Forwards and back
There is a long list of potential symptoms when the jaw is misaligned. Most of them are uncomfortable or outright painful. Please see our page on TMJ/TMD Symptoms for more details. TMD involves more of the body than just the jaw joints, teeth, muscles, nerves, and connective tissue. It also involves posture.
When the spinal bones are out of alignment, there is a chain of consequences which can create pain in the face, neck, and shoulders, and even the entire body. Dr. Cload will evaluate your posture and body mechanics during your TMJ exam.
Diagnosing Jaw Joint Misalignment
Many people who suffer from TMD do not realize it. TMD headaches can be very painful and may be mistaken for migraines. TMD sufferers may visit their physician for help and receive a painkiller but their relief is only temporary because pain medications do not address the dental cause of the pain. Sometimes a TMD sufferer will visit many doctors, becoming increasingly frustrated and perhaps depressed. Chronic pain is not fun and unfortunately suffers do not associate their excruciating symptoms with jaw misalignment. Visiting a dentist to diagnose and treat their symptoms is the last thing they think. Don't let that be you. Come in for a consultation and we can see if TMJ is a likely cause of your pain .
To learn more about TMD and how it can be successfully treated, please contact Dr. Cload today for a personal consultation.
