When TMJ affects the eyes, the symptoms can include pressure that builds behind the eye sockets. Some people may also experience blurry vision. TMJ often causes tension headaches, which can contribute to blurry vision and pressure behind the eyes. Sufferers can also have pain around their eyes due to TMJ.
Another condition that may worsen with oral health issues is our eyesight. Eyesight can surprisingly be affected by temporomandibular joint dysfunction, a condition wherein the temporomandibular joint of the jaw becomes misaligned from the skull, causing pain and stiffness.
Can TMD Affect Your Eyes? Your TMJs connect your jawbone or mandible to your skull. They are located just in front of your ears. Due to the proximity of the eyes to TMJs, experts believe that TMD can be the underlying cause of blurry vision, eye pain, and other visual disturbances.
Inflammation and swelling due to TMD can spread to the ear causing ear pain. Additionally, straining the muscles connected to the TMJ can result in ear pain as well as tension headaches and pain behind the eyes.
Seek medical attention if you have persistent pain or tenderness in your jaw, or if you can't open or close your jaw completely. Your doctor, your dentist or a TMJ specialist can discuss possible causes and treatments for your problem.
Frequent headaches —a constant ache, throbbing, or piercing like a migraine. Clicking or popping of your jaw when you eat, talk, chew, or open your mouth. Ear pain, from a dull ache to sharp, searing pain. Neck and/or shoulder pain with or without muscle spasm, and reduced flexibility.
Red flag symptoms and signs
Persistent and worsening pain. Jaw pain in people taking bisphosphonates (or other medicines where osteonecrosis is known to be an adverse effect). Concurrent infection. History of recent head or neck trauma.
Additionally, TMJ has been associated with a range of neurological disorders, including headaches, dizziness, and tingling or numbness in the face or jaw. While the exact causes of TMJ are not always clear, treatments such as physical therapy, medications, and surgery can often help manage the symptoms.
Chronic cluster, migraine, or tension headaches may be mistaken for TMJ disorder, especially since TMJ disorder itself can cause such headaches. Chronic sinus pain and sinus infections can also produce pain around the temples that can feel like TMJ disorder.
Causes. The causes of eye misalignment are various, and sometimes unknown. Potential causes include high farsightedness, thyroid eye disease, cataract, eye injuries, myasthenia gravis, cranial nerve palsies, and in some patients it may be caused by brain or birth problems.
In general, yes, the answer is that TMJ disorders may cause symptoms that a person would describe as "lightheadedness." You may also describe it as dizziness or feeling like you are about to fall.
TMJ disorders may result in chronic migraines and headaches, which can cause brain fog and affect one's memory.
Supplementation — Magnesium is the holy grail of supplements for TMJD. I use one called Triple Calm Magnesium, a blend of three magnesiums (taurate, glycinate, malate). It's critical for relieving muscle spasms, tightness and stress. And it improves sleep.
The best medicines for TMJ pain are over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatories, such as Tylenol and ibuprofen. In some extreme circumstances, a dentist may prescribe something stronger, but even then it's likely to be a prescription ibuprofen, not opioid painkiller.
Bite guards are the most widely recommended treatment for moderate TMJ symptoms. Research has found that splints can reduce TMJ pain and the risk of long-term side effects is minimal. There are two main types of dental splint, a TMJ mouthguard, and a bruxism (tooth grinding) mouthguard.
MRI is a noninvasive technique, considered to be the gold standard in imaging the soft tissue components of the TMJ. MRI is used to evaluate the articular disc in terms of location and morphology. Moreover, the early signs of TMD and the presence of joint effusion can be determined.
These conditions include allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic headache, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, neck and low back pain, sleep disorders, and vulvodynia.
No laboratory studies are specifically indicated to rule in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome; however, appropriate laboratory samples may be drawn to help rule out other disorders, as follows: Complete blood count (CBC), if infection is suspected.
Untreated TMJ can cause constant tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, that can disrupt sleep and make it difficult to concentrate. Because our body's sense of balance is in the inner ears, the inflammation caused by TMJ disorder can impact balance as well, resulting in dizziness, unsteadiness, and vertigo.
The final stage of the TMD refers to a transformation of the temporomandibular joint to an extent that its function is substantially decreased or even disabled due to disease or injury.
Anyone who's suffered from TMJ pain knows how debilitating it can be. While it may start with a little soreness at the temples or popping when you yawn, it can quickly progress into daily migraines, difficulty eating, and permanent damage to the teeth.