The Temporomandibular Joint
This fascinating joint connects your jaw to your head. Ligaments, cartilage, fascia, an articular disc, muscles, nerves and blood vessels run in, around, and through the TMJ. TMJ dysfunction or syndrome occurs when the joint is misaligned or malfunctioning in some way that subjects it to excess pressure.
Among the most common symptoms of TMJ dysfunction are the inability to open the mouth wide and clicking or popping sound when the mouth opens or closes. Other TMJ symptoms can be severe headaches, loss of hearing, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), the sensation of an object in the throat, facial swelling, shoulder, cheek or jaw joint pain, neck ache, and dizziness.
Our Treatment Approach
Strong posture and strong balance help the TM joint. Spinal and TMJ problems are often found together.
Manipulative care, especially in the area of the upper cervical spine and skull, often relieves pressure on the spine and cranial bones. Forward head posture often leads to excess stress on the TMJ joint; therefore, chiropractic care often gets excellent results in relieving TMJ symptomatology.
What Can Cause This?
Sitting in a dentist’s chair and keeping your jaw, head, neck and lower spine in an unnatural or uncomfortable position can cause TMJ and spinal damage. We strongly recommended that if you undergo dental care, follow it up with a visit to our office to insure proper function. Other causes include eating hard to chew objects as well as clinching your jaws frequently or grinding your teeth at night. We work with many dentist as an adjunct to their care (bite correction, etc.) to enhance the patient’s response.
We Can Usually Help!
Often the chiropractic approach can greatly benefit someone suffering from what had been thought to be only a TMJ problem. Conversely, an unhealthy skull/jaw alignment can put great stress upon the spinal column as well. There are documented cases of dental problems that, once corrected, have helped patients to respond better to their spinal care.