Learn in this eye-opening article about the causes and factors behind the TMJ syndrome and also learn about the solutions.
The pains that are attached with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder are acute, as can be vouched for by the millions of sufferers of this ailment all over the world. In the United States alone, plenty of individuals fall prey to this disorder. TMJ syndromes have a recurring nature, and the painful sensations simply do not seem to go away. A TMJ patient can adopt different methods of treating the problem, but with little or no success. This, naturally, makes TMJ a very serious object of medical study as of now.
TMJ Syndrome: Meaning And Way Of Occurrence
When the joint portion of our jaws get impaired due to certain physical factors, the situation is termed in medical circles as temporomandibular (or, TMJ) syndrome. One opens and closes his/her jaw with the help of this joint, which has handy hinge-like functionalities. The joint is itself found between the temporal section of the skull and the bone in the lower reaches of the jaw (mandible). Other muscle areas, tissues of the face also aid the TMJ in working as desired. For avoiding chances of receiving a shock when a very tough food item is bitten off, there is an internal shock absorber present as well, in the form of a soft cartilage disc, which lies between the temporal lobe and the mandible area.
The jaw joint is not limited in its functioning, and does not only serve to open and close the mouth (by serving as a hinge). The unique nature of the joint lies in the fact that, it also permits forward sliding movement of the mandible. That, in turn, helps people to shout, yawn as well as in chewing activities.
Painful sensations in different parts, including the head, the neck and the ear, are common if and when the temporomandibular joint is hampered in its normal way of functioning. Sufferers also fail to feel anything in their fingers, and cannot even open their mouths properly. Along with these painful experiences (the TMJ pains), clicks and/or pops can also be heard when patients use their teeth to bite off any foodstuff as well.
Causal Factors Of TMJ Syndrome
The list of principal causes of the TMJ syndrome is rather long. Doctors identify joint-degenerating diseases, arthritis in the bones, arthritis hailing from rheumatism, traumatic incidents as well as too much teeth-grinding habits as the four chief reasons behind these problems. However, it is yet to be ascertained whether tinnitus is a reason behind TMJ syndromes, or if it is the latter that ushers in tinnitus complicacies. Whatever may be the case, the temporomantibular joint is certainly vulnerable to attacks of arthritis. In advanced stages of such cases, fresh bones might start to form on the joint, while the stock of cartilages falls, and the joint area itself gradually disintegrates. On the other hand if the TMJ syndrome has been caused by arthritis from rheumatic tendencies, the joint might experience acute inflammations, with highly serious consequences, particularly if the patient is of a tender age. In these cases, the normal functioning of the TMJ is greatly hampered. The syndrome causes inflammations, affects multiple systems in and around the TMJ, and is even autoimmune, since it has an antibody that nullifies the immunoglobulin G (IgG) of the human body.
Let’s now cast an eye on the other probable causes of the TMJ syndrome. For example, bruxism habits often lead an individual to keep on grinding and/or gnashing his/her teeth. This destroys the proper structure of the biting mechanism, and naturally ushers in the TMJ syndrome. Myofacial pain syndrome (viz., acute pain in the muscles of the face), is also another direct offshoot of bruxism tendencies. If the jaw disc and/or the jaw bone get damaged due to any freak accident or injury, TMJ syndrome can make an appearance via such external causative factors as well.
What Are The Major Symptoms Of The TMJ Syndrome?
When a person falls prey to the temporomandibular disorder, (s)he experiences intense pain in the face, as well as in the shoulder and the neck areas too. The face tissues get affected by the TMJ syndrome, often resulting in serious facial muscle spasms as well. Talking, taking a bite at food items or even the task of opening the mouth grows progressively more and more difficult for a sufferer of the TMJ syndrome. The TMJ pain, emanating from the joint portion of the jaw, can practically travel to any other region, including even certain areas of the skull. A continuous dizzy sensation, acute headches, as well as aches in the ear are also very commonly observed in cases of TMJ disorder problems. Auditory abilities might also diminish over time, and rings might also be heard by the patients (similar to those heard by the sufferers from tinnitus disease). When the person opens or closes the jaw, if a ‘click’ or a ‘pop’ is sounded, that can be taken as the clearest symptom for the TMJ syndrome.
Finding A Solution To The TMJ Syndrome
By nature, if degeneration of joints is the root cause of the TMJ syndrome, such cases cannot be solved easily. Indeed, it has been proved that the benefits that the teeth guards and/or the splints, which were widely recommended earlier as a preventive measure against clenching of the teeth, had to offer, were completely overshadowed by their demerits. There are also a number of so-called ‘effective’ over the counter drugs, as well as other conventional modes of treatment. However, not only do these medications do not work, but neither do the herb-based supplementary medicines that are prepared at home. These techniques, can, at best provide some short-lived respite, although there are no chances of a full recovery. The effects of the exercises prescribed for the TMJ patients are more or less similar as well.
The reason for the failure of all the above methods of medication is single: all of them try to suppress the TMJ symptoms, without going to the core of its causal factors. Fortunately, the holistic treatment modes do find out the factors that cause the surfacing of the TMJ syndrome. Once identified, all theses causal factors are suitably corrected. Chances of having a relapse of this disease are avoided too, since the holistic methods drive away the causes of the disorders, and the TMJ symptoms as well from the bodily system.
Sandra Carter is a certified nutritionist and author of the best-selling e-book, TMJ No More . For Further Information: TMJ Syndrome