TMJ Can Impact Quality of Life Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) can make it difficult to live a normal, fulfilling life. The pain and dysfunction can affect physical appearance, the ability to socialize, and the ability to maintain a busy schedule.
Living with TMJ disorders can be different from one person to the next. For some, TMJ may mean nothing more than an annoying click or an occasional twinge in the jaw. For others, it's the beginning of a lifelong challenge that causes constant disruption that affects all aspects of one's life.
Maintain the resting position of your jaw
To help alleviate TMJ pain, minimize wide jaw movements, such as chewing, yawning, singing, and yelling. Do your best to keep your muscles as relaxed as possible.
Although leaving your TMJ untreated is not life-threatening, it can lead to high levels of discomfort, tension, and chronic pain. And these can greatly interfere with your quality of life.
If you're experiencing TMJ symptoms such as facial pain, headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and ear-related symptoms for more than eight days in a row, it's time to consider that you may need medical intervention.
Damage to the time-consuming joint accumulates over time, which results in chronic pain and other distressing signs such as jaw cracks, popping and locking. Inconvenience and inflammation can broaden beyond your joints and cause pain on the face, neck and shoulders.
If left untreated, TMJ can lead to more complications that have long-lasting effects on your health. How can you tell when the pain is too much? If the pain is very annoying and it's limiting your normal everyday activities, that's when it's time to call the doctor.
In many cases, TMJ disorder, also known as TMD, responds well to home care techniques and other conservative, non-surgical treatments.
TMJ dysfunction can contribute to a range of complications, including chronic pain, limited chewing function and bruxism-related wear and tear. Some factors can overlap, and it may be difficult to identify the exact cause. In some cases, it can take a while to find a treatment that works well for you.
Most patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) are not considered disabled as the condition does not limit their life activities and resolves quickly.
TMJ symptoms last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. Some TMJ disorders can last months or years.
Most people have relatively mild forms of the disorder. Their symptoms improve significantly, or disappear spontaneously, within weeks or months. For others, the condition causes long-term, persistent, and debilitating pain. WHAT CAUSES TMJ DISORDERS?
Roughly 10 million people in the United States suffer from at least one TMJ disorder.
Temporomandibular joint issues can get worse with age because we naturally lose bone density as we age. This means that the jaw joint loses some of its support strength, which can lead to TMJ problems. Ageing also causes the muscles in the face, neck, and jaw to weaken, which can lead to TMJ issues.
Temporomandibular joint disease can cause severe jaw pain, frequent headaches and migraines, and other irritating and unpleasant symptoms that can have a significant influence on your quality of life. It is inevitable that your condition will worsen without treatment, especially if you do not change particular habits.
The Long-Term Damage of Untreated TMJ
Many people are dealing with symptoms of TMJ, but not everyone seeks dental treatment in time. Even though this dental condition might seem minor, the symptoms can worsen and potentially cause long-term damage to your teeth if you don't talk with a dentist about treatment options.
Patients may also feel that their upper and lower teeth no longer fit together properly—this can indicate that the temporomandibular joint dysfunction is so severe that the jaw is no longer aligned as it should be.
The following signs indicate that you may need to seek dentist care for a TMJ disorder: Facial, jaw, or ear pain. Pain in the neck and shoulders. Popping, clicking, or grating sounds when you open or close your mouth.
Internal TMJ derangement – Internal derangement is the most serious category of TMJ disorders. Trauma or a displaced jaw, among other causes, can precipitate it.
Arthritis, injury, dislocation, and infection of the TMJ are some examples of TMJ disorders. Patients with TMJ disorder may present with neck pain, headaches, and ringing in the ears. Fortunately, this is a treatable problem. With the right care, it is possible to fix the TMJ permanently.
Since there are numerous causes of a TMJ disorder, its duration can also vary significantly. For example, TMJ pain might stay for two weeks and never return. Usually, TMJ signs will go away in no more than three weeks. But those caused by bruxism or arthritis can stay for a few months or even years.
TMJ affects 20–30% of the adult population and is more common in women and those between the ages of 20 and 40.
Country singer star Lee Ann Rimes' struggles with TMJ are well-documented. She's had to cut short or cancel multiple concerts over the years because of TMJ flare-ups. In 2010, she admitted in a Tweet that her jaw popped out of place mid-concert, which she had to end abruptly.
TMJ surgery, including TMJ reconstruction surgery, may be recommended to correct your TMJ disorder if you experience: TMJ locking—the inability to fully open or close your mouth. Continuous facial pain and/or TMJ dysfunction—despite having trialled non-surgical therapies for at least six months.
While there are several reasons a patient can experience sudden or severe jaw pain, inflammation and overworked muscles tend to be the most common causes of TMJ flare-ups. Many physical changes and lifestyle habits can contribute to swelling around the joint and muscle tension.