Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ)

Temporomandibular disorders are a group of problems affecting the jaw joints just in front of the ears and the muscles that move the jaw. People often say they have TMJ, which is strictly the name of the joint. The usual forms are muscle pain, a displaced joint disc that clicks or locks, and arthritis of the joint.

They are common, affecting roughly one adult in ten at some point, and most cases improve with simple measures within weeks to months. Because the condition tends to come and go, reversible treatment is strongly preferred over grinding teeth, crowns or surgery.

Symptome

• Aching in the jaw, cheeks, temples or around the ear, worse on chewing or yawning
• Clicking, popping or grating from the joint
• Jaw that catches, locks open or will not open fully
• Morning jaw stiffness and headaches
• Ear fullness, ringing or earache with normal ear examination
• Teeth that feel as if they meet differently
• Worn, flattened or sensitive teeth from grinding

Ursachen und Risikofaktoren

There is rarely one cause. Clenching and grinding, by day or in sleep, overload the muscles and joint. Stress, anxiety, poor sleep and other chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and migraine make pain more likely and longer lasting. The disc inside the joint can slip forward, producing a click, or stay displaced and block opening. Injury, wide opening during long dental treatment or intubation, generalised joint hypermobility and arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, also play a part. The way the teeth bite together is now thought to have little role, which is why bite adjustment is not recommended.

Wie es diagnostiziert wird

• History and examination: Measures mouth opening, listens for joint sounds and presses on the muscles and joints; this is enough in most cases.
• Dental check and panoramic X-ray: Excludes toothache, wisdom teeth and gross joint changes.
• MRI: Shows disc position and joint fluid when locking persists or surgery is considered.
• Cone beam CT: Shows bone changes in arthritis.
• Blood tests or rheumatology review: If an inflammatory arthritis is suspected.

Behandlungsmöglichkeiten

• Education and self-care: Soft diet, small bites, avoiding gum and wide yawns, warm compresses and keeping the teeth apart at rest.
• Jaw physiotherapy: Stretching, coordination exercises and massage; among the best supported treatments.
• Stabilisation splint (night guard): A hard acrylic cover for one arch worn at night; protects teeth and eases muscle pain in many people.
• Medicines: Short courses of anti-inflammatories, sometimes a muscle relaxant or low-dose amitriptyline at night.
• Stress and sleep management: Cognitive behavioural approaches reduce chronic pain.
• Botulinum toxin to the jaw muscles: May help resistant muscle pain; evidence is mixed and the effect lasts 3 to 4 months.
• Arthrocentesis or arthroscopy: Washing out the joint for a closed lock or painful arthritis that has not settled.
• Open joint surgery or joint replacement: Rarely needed, for severe structural disease only.

Wenn es dringend ist

Go to a local emergency department if your jaw is stuck wide open and you cannot close it, if pain and restricted opening follow a blow to the face, or if restricted opening comes with fever and swelling, which suggests infection. Jaw pain with chest pain, breathlessness or sweating needs emergency cardiac assessment.

Reisen nach Türkiye zur Behandlung

A trip can provide a proper diagnosis, MRI if indicated, a laboratory-made stabilisation splint in 3 to 5 days, an exercise programme and, where appropriate, botulinum toxin or arthrocentesis. It cannot provide the months of self-care and physiotherapy that do most of the work. Be sceptical of any proposal to cure jaw pain by crowning or reshaping many teeth or with full-time bite-changing appliances; these are irreversible and not supported by evidence.

Senden Sie Ihre Berichte, Scans und eine kurze Geschichte und eine Clinic-Y Koordinator Antworten innerhalb von 24 Stunden mit geeigneten Teams und schriftlich, All-inclusive Vorschläge nebeneinander. Die Überprüfung Ihres Falls ist kostenlos.

Häufig gestellte Fragen