Suffering from head, neck or jaw pain?

Important – Chronic pain reduces proper sleep.

Poor sleep can lead to further pain, sleepy adults and hyperactive children.

Do you or your child wake with a sore jaw or unexplained head pain? Do you grind your teeth? Do you snore or wake up suddenly at night? Are headaches or ear pain a routine part of your day? Does your child wet their bed or have they been diagnosed with attention deficient disorder aka ADD?

Click here to take the TMJ Symptoms Quiz

If you are suffering from jaw pain, a TMJ (jaw joint) imbalance could be the origin of your pain. Some call it TMD (temporomandibular disorder), other call it TMJPDS (temporomandibular pain dysfunction syndrome). Whatever you call it, it can be fixed and you could be living a pain free life within only a few months.

Many people go through their lives doing one or all of the following for head and neck pain (aka craniofacial pain):

• Having frequent visits to chiropractors
• Having frequent visits to osteopaths
• Some take medication daily to relieve their problems

All of these things reduce symptoms.  However if the symptoms return and these treatments don’t “hold” the cause / origin of the problem can be a jaw imbalance… Perhaps this should be corrected…

How is TMD diagnosed and treated?

1. Consultation with an FJO Practitioner aka TMJ Dentist who will ask you lots of questions about your symptoms.

2. A full check both inside and outside your mouth will be done. This includes assessment of all of the major muscles of the head and neck, and their associated trigger-points; assessment of your teeth for signs such as unusual tooth-wear which indicates grinding or clenching; assessment of the soft-tissues inside your mouth – tongues and lips can tell an experienced practitioner all kinds of things

3. Scans are taken to assess many structures in your head and neck – such as your airways (to ensure you breathe properly) and your jaw-joint (to see if there is any degeneration in it)

4. Impressions of your teeth and photographs will be taken

5. Assessment of your posture will be made

6. Various other tests may be performed according to your specific problem…

Short video about what should happen – “Normal TMJ”:

Note: This above video shows what should happen and the other videos show what shouldn’t happen…

Short video – “Abnormal TMJ”:

Note: In this video the patient would probably be aware of their TMJ clicking upon opening and closing the mouth. Due to the disc displacent there could be any number of symptoms ranging from no symptoms through to head, neck and back pain.

More about TMJ treatments

Sometimes the problem is simple and may just require you to wear special orthotics - one during the day, and another during the night.  These will help to hold the TMJ (jaw-joint) in the correct position to allow it to heal.  Then, in some cases, once you have healed you could then chose to either carry on wearing the orthotics using a permanent orthotic, or sometimes it is possible to be weaned off wearing them.

Many times the problem is more complex and may require the above treatment, followed by a treatment to help establish a new more balanced bite for the long-term.  This treatment could be a course of FJO orthodontics.

In some cases when the teeth have been severely worn down, it may be better to have crowns, bridges or tooth implants placed to open up the bite, thus establishing the new more balanced bite position. Often, treatment may combine the above with exercise, physical therapy, ultrasound, nutritional counselling, stress management and medications.

So what is the end goal here?

Essentially, the end goal is to relax the involved muscle groups and restore normal function to them and the jaw-joint.  A more balanced relationship of the upper jaw to the lower jaw is determined which results in a reduction of the pain.

I don’t get it!  How can the position of the jaw affect all of this?

This video briefly explains why tightness in jaw muscles can lead to pain. Remember: The muscles, blood supply, nerves, ligaments and tendons in this region are intricately connected to the ear, head, face, neck and back. There is even a connection to the arms and hands via the brachial plexus. Symptoms can occur in all of these places.

Jaw Position

The complete answer to this issue of ‘jaw position’ is very complex and requires hours of study to fully understand. However, here is a bit of the puzzle in a nut-shell:

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  The jaw joint is the most complex joint in the human body.  It is connected either directly, or indirectly to many structuresa lot of neural input and output to and from the joint. such as bones, muscles, nerves, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels.  Along with the ankle joint it is one of the most highly innervated structures too.  This means there is

• The joint has a small pad called an articular disc which sits between the lower jaw and the bone above it. When the disc functions correctly the joint is usually in a comfortable position.  However, many things can lead to the disc being displaced so it doesn’t sit in it’s correct position.  When a person’s jaw clicks or pops it is the movement of the disc that causes this.

• The nerves, blood vessels, muscles, tendons and ligaments of the head and neck are connected to your jaw joint.  If there is a problem in the joint, pain can radiate all over your body, especially around the face, head, neck and back.  Nerves can get impinged or pressed on by muscles that are in spasm.  Nerves then get inflamed and pain / symptoms  can begin

• The  sensory inputs and outputs to and from this region are incredibly dense.  So a small problem in the joint can feel huge, and can be felt not only in the joint but all over the body.  When the nervous system is overloaded, nerves will fire when they shouldn’t. This can manifest as pain or difficulty with normal bodily functions.
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• Trauma, excessive stretching, twisting or compression of the joint are all factors that can cause a problem to the disc.

Causes of TMJ Problems

When we go through our normal daily activities such as talking, eating, swallowing and speaking, we can cause all of the above things to happen if the relationship between the upper and lower jaw is not balanced.

For example:

If you have a very narrow upper jaw, the only way all of your lower teeth can fit together is by the lower jaw sitting further back than where it should be. This, in turn causes the disc to be compressed or pushed off the joint. When this happens, TMJ dysfunction begins.

TMJ Dysfunction

TMJ Dysfunction causes tension in the muscles of the face, head and neck.  When this happens the nerves associated with these structures go into overload – they begin to fire when they shouldn’t. Muscle spasms can occur.

TMD and Sleep

Dysfunction can cause disturbances in sleep cycles and so many other problems can set in. Without proper sleep, there are many illnesses that can occur (see our Sleep ApneaTreatments page).

If you live with chronic head and neck, or TMJ pain, you may have too many inflammatory products. Neurppeptides and other substances such as cortisol can be released during pain and can inhibit REM sleep – one of the most important parts of sleep. Without enough REM sleep you cannot convert short-term memory to long-term, so you cannot remember things, you cannot concentrate and you cannot heal and feel well.

Did you know:

Around 75% of caucasians have some degree of TMJ dysfunction and it is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions of our time.

A thorough TMJ assessment by a dentist with expertise in this area is essential if it is to be treated correctly.

More popular topics

• Click here for TMJ Symptoms
• Click here for TMJ Dentistry
• Having trouble sleeping? Learn about Sleep Apnea Treatment
• Info here about Mouth Breathers

Questions?

• Get in touch? Contact an FJO Dentist or Email Us Here