All you need to know about: temporomandibular jaw disorders

If you’ve ever experienced a painful clicking or popping sound in your jaw when you’ve opened it a bit wider than usual, say to take a bite off a crunchy apple, you probably know what temporomandibular joint disorders are. If not, read on to find out.

What are temporomandibular joint disorders?

Temporomandibular joint disorders or TMDs, refer to disorders of the joints in your jaw, the jaw muscles and nerves. These disorders can cause pain and affect the movement of your jaw. They are common disorders, mostly occur in adults (women are more likely to be affected than men), and while in some cases resolve on their own, in others, they can generally be managed with treatment.

We all have two temporomandibular joints (TMJs), one on each side of our faces, connecting our jaw bones to our skulls. The TMJs are some of the complex joints in the body — they help you move your jaw, talk, yawn and chew. Any issue that prevents the joints from working smoothly can cause a TMJ disorder.

What causes TMDs?

TMDs can occur due to a number of reasons; sometimes more than one together. In some cases, the cause may not be clear. Bruxism, or the clenching or grinding of teeth as a habit could be a cause as it places strain on the jaw joints. An injury to the jaw, arthritis in the jaw, displacement of the jaw joint disc (the disc that separates the bones working in the joint) may be other causes.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) notes that TMDs can occur alone or at the same time as other medical conditions such as headaches, back pain, sleep problems, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms include: pain in the jaw and face, around the ears, and temples, a painful clicking, popping or grinding sound when the jaw is moved, headaches and jaw discomfort, pain that radiates to the neck and shoulder, limited movement of the mouth, difficulty or pain while chewing, tooth pain, ear aches or ringing of the ears, sensitivity of teeth (without an oral disease), locking of the jaw and dizziness.

Clicking or popping sounds without pain, however, are considered normal and do not need treatment.

Diagnosis and treatment

To diagnose TMD, your doctor or dentist may perform a physical exam to check for jaw tenderness, and to see how wide the mouth can open. Imaging tests such as X-rays or CT scans may also be needed, alongside a medical history. As symptoms can overlap with other conditions, it is important to seek medical care for an accurate diagnosis.

In some cases, signs and symptoms of TMD go away on their own and need no treatment. In other cases, simple treatment options that may be given include: medications for pain relief and muscle relaxants, antianxiety medications, lifestyle changes and self-care options such as eating soft foods, using ice or heat packs on the jaw, jaw exercises, resting the joint and changing habits such as teeth clenching, nail biting and gum chewing. A mouth guard or splint may also be recommended to help reduce clenching.

In cases where the jaw pain does not go away, surgery may be considered. However, it is important to note that as per the NIDCR, surgery makes permanent changes to your joint. It stresses that there are no long-term research studies on the safety of open surgery for TMDs or on how well it works to relieve symptoms. It also emphasises that there is no evidence that occlusal treatments, which are used to modify the teeth and bite, work and could, instead, make the problem worse.