TMJ Disorder Sydney NSW

Lumière Dental Centre treat TMJ Disorder

People who suffer from temporomandibular joint disorder sometimes might not even know they have the condition. Most patients describe their symptoms as jaw pain, arthritis, misaligned mandible, injury or jaw popping. While a self-diagnosis is never recommended, TMJ is usually a combination of many underlying problems needing urgent attention.

What is TMJ disorder?

TMJ disorder is a condition that causes pain in the temporomandibular joint; the joint in the jawbone that operates like a sliding hinge, joining your jawbone to your skull, ultimately controlling your jaw’s movement. Diagnosing the cause of an individuals TMJ disorder can often be difficult due to the varying reasons that can attribute to the pain.

Researchers agree however, these conditions that cause TMJ symptoms fall into three broad categories:

1. Myofascial pain is the pain and discomfort in the muscular tissue that moves your jaw up and down and side to side. This discomfort is most commonly felt when chewing and sufferers tend to avoid overly hard or chewy foods to avoid any associated pain.
2. An Internal derangement of the Temporomandibular joint involves a displaced disc, broken or dislocated jaw or associated injuries to the condyle.
3. Severe arthritis in the jaw is a common problem that is classed  as a secondary condition. When arthritis is coupled with any of the above two points it can make the symptoms seem and feel significantly worse.

What are the symptoms?

Depending on where you feel pain and how intense you feel it will determine your diagnosis. Common TMJ symptoms include:

• Pain when chewing food
• General aching pain in the jaw joint
• Intense pain throughout the face, jaw and/or neck
• Migraines and severe headaches
• Limited movement in the jaw, unable to open it very wide or locking of the jaw
• Clicking, grating or popping in the jaw joint when opening and closing or chewing that resulting in pain
• A noticeable difference in the way the teeth sit

How to treat TMJ disorder

If you think you may have TMJ there is some good news. Dr Elkhatib is trained in recognising joint and muscle disorders for the purpose of repairing bite and aesthetics. With a combination of some conservative treatments as prescribed by Dr Elkhatib, most TMJ sufferers can expect the symptoms to dwindle and eventually disappear. These self-administered treatment plans include eating soft, cold foods, avoiding intense yawning and muscle relaxing techniques.

In rare cases where TMJ disorder symptoms get progressively worse, more invasive treatments may need to be introduced. This will be an option after trying the conservative measures first. If you are experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms, it is important you speak with Dr Elkhatib at Lumière Dental Centre so you can get informed about what you need to do to alleviate the pain and stop it from getting worse.

TMJ Disorder Sydney