TMD! Pain, clicking or popping during conversation or while eating can be frustrating to say the least. For those that have experienced it, they can tell you just how disabling this pain can be.

Newer research demonstrates that the origin of such conditions do not occur absent trauma.

Because the jaw is an elemental joint we use everyday, repetitive use can lead to more pain. Adding insult to injury, poor sleeping postures, stress and grinding (bruxism) further complicate things. More importantly, gait and posture play a critical role in finding problems that could manifest themselves as TMD.

For some, it's as simple as a visit to the dentist to adjust the 'bite' or being fitted with a custom mouth guard / bite plane. For most, they are left with muscle tension and spasms, and worse, continued TM joint pain. At this level, hard or soft appliances without a proper diagnosis, are just Band-Aid fixes.

As with almost all muscles disorders, the indication of the appropriate stretching exercises for the muscles involved will assist in a speedy recovery. A course of daily stretching exercises is recommended as part of the protocol to reduce stress of the temporomandibular joint.  Others treatments are myofascial release, microcurrent, acupuncture . Some patients respond to a single cortisone injection (administered locally to reduce the inflammation and edema of the muscle/joint). Surgery is another approach that may be needed in some patients, but usually reserves for last.

With a proper diagnosis and course of therapy however, it is possible to maintain pain free jaw. On the other hand, you need a specialist who understands the most unique joint in the body. You need an interdisciplinary approach to the care of such an interrelated joint.

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