TMJ refers to the Tempromandibular Joint.
Tempromandibular Joint Disease is pain related at the joint of the jawbone and
the temporal bone of the skull.
For this pain to occur these conditions must exist:
1. Predisposition, which means you are more prone to have
the problem than someone else;
2. Physical abnormality, which might be missing teeth or a
bad bite; and,
3. Stress, which may result in clenching and grinding.
There may be:
pain in the jaws; migraine like headaches; ear aches; hearing loss; vision
problems; neck aches; tooth pain; and/or, jaw noise (clicking, grinding or
popping).
Treatment often starts with a night guard that is worn to
minimize effects of tooth grinding and clenching. Often, final treatment includes stress reduction and/or correcting
physical abnormalities. Corrections of physical abnormalities may include such
processes as orthodontics to straighten teeth, crown and bridge or partial
dentures to replace missing teeth, etc.
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