Does your jaw make popping, clicking or grating sounds when it moves?
If so, you could suffer from Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD), a condition that affects the temporomandibular joint, found just above your ear canal on either side of your head. According to numerous studies, 75% of the U.S. population will experience symptoms of TMD at one time or another in their lives.
Pain is the most common reason people in the United States seek medical or dental care (Gremillion, 2000.)
Research in TMD is showing that there are many factors that can cause TMD and periodic inflammation in the temporomandibular joint.
Chewing gum excessively or biting your nails can inflame your temporomandibular joint and may cause TMD.
Sometimes, TMD appears following tooth loss, inflammation of the dental pulp, or because of a malocclusion, what your dentist would explain as the alignment of your being “out of whack” when you bite down or chew food.
TMD may also be the result of what is referred to in dentistry as “bruxism,” unconscious teeth grinding while you sleep. Grinding your teeth at night can result in loss of the surface of your teeth and puts stress on the temporomandibular joint, because although you’re asleep, your jaw is still working throughout the night—without you even knowing it! However, not everyone with temporomandibular joint disorder grinds his or her teeth. The National Institutes of Health suggest the possibility that stress associated with bruxism may be what causes temporomandibular joint pain, not the grinding itself.
Even the size of the bites of food you take can affect the temporomandobular joint—opening the mouth too widely or taxing your jaw trying to chew big bites of food, or food that is sticky, such as caramel or toffee, or chewy, such as a rare steak or raw vegetables may cause inflammation and result in symptoms of TMD.
TMD may also be the result of trauma to the jaw—such as car accidents or sports injuries.
For more information on treatment for TMD, schedule a consult with Dr. Bill Costaras at the Illinois Institute of Dental Sleep Medicine in Peoria Illinois at 309-243-8980 or email us at info@peoriatmj.com.