Jaw Pain in Dulwich Hill
It’s a hard word to pronounce – the temporomandibular (tem-puh-roe-man-DIB-u-lur) joint – also known as the TMJ, and it’s certainly not much fun to experience TMJ pain. While many people experience jaw pain (up to 16% of the population), it is often a very overlooked area when assessing the body. At My Back Relief Clinic, we’ve helped many patients with TMJ pain, and we’d love to help you, too!
What Is the TMJ?
The TMJ is a sliding hinge, connecting your skull with your jawbone. You have a TMJ on each side of your jaw. It is one of the most used joints in your body and is involved in eating, chewing, talking, breathing and even in expressing our emotions.
TMJ disorders—a type of temporomandibular disorder or TMD—can cause pain in your jaw joint, in the muscles that control jaw movement and in surrounding areas.
Symptoms of Jaw problems
Jaw pain can present in many ways. This may include:
- Headaches (even migraine type headaches)
- Clicking in the jaw
- Locked jaw
- Decreased motion
- Tooth pain or an earache
These symptoms often can affect general eating, talking, and the amount of stress in your day. Unfortunately, a great portion of the brain is dedicated to the jaw. That means when it hurts, it usually hurts more than most other joints!
Causes of TMJ Pain
TMJ pain often arises from an issue in the function of the joint. The temporomandibular joint acts like a hinge and moves with a sliding motion. Like any body part (or even machinery, for that matter), the more moving parts you have, the more likely something is to go wrong. If one part stops working, that may lead to other parts not working as well.
In terms of your jaw anatomy, the parts of the bones that interact in the joint are covered with cartilage and are separated by a small shock-absorbing disc, which normally keeps jaw movement smooth.
There are many causes of painful TMJ disorders, including:
- The disc is damaged or is misaligned
- The joint’s cartilage is damaged by arthritis
- The joint is damaged by injury or other impact
- Posture problems (neck, head)
- Myofascial pain
- Teeth grinding
- Occlusal problems: poor bite, asymmetrical or retrognathic (underbite, overbite), which is why chiropractors sometimes work with dentists.
Jaw Pain and Chiropractic
What a lot of people don’t realise is that the jaw is closely linked to the posture of your neck. That is why a great portion of people suffering from neck whiplash injuries can develop jaw pain, too. If you experience forward head posture, that may lead to a tightening of muscles in your neck which may, in turn, misalign your TMJ or surrounding tissue.
Chiropractors have university training in addressing biomechanical jaw pain. Combined adjustment and rehabilitation of both the neck and jaw can have success in managing jaw pain. Chiropractors are also trained in assessing posture to determine if bad postures are contributing to pains elsewhere in your body.
Schedule Today
At My Back Relief Clinic, we believe in closely co-managing with your dentist to assist you with any jaw problems you may have. Contact us today to book an appointment.
CONTACT US »
