The temporomandibular joint (
TMJ) is
the joint located just in front of the left/right
ear. It is the ball-and-socket joint that conjoins
the maxilla and the mandible. The TMJ's primary role
is to establish smooth jaw movements that include
biting, swallowing chewing, talking and yawning. The
complexity of the
TMJ structure is overwhelmingly
sophisticated and sensitive because it is comprised
of muscles, tendons and bones that reinforce smooth
and dynamic jaw movements.
There are six main
components of the TMJ, namely:
* Mandibular condyles - is the round bump
connects the maxilla and the mandible
* Articular surface - the cartilage of the temporal
bone
* Capsule - once opened, the capsule exposes the
disk of the joint.
* Articular disc - the thin plate that facilitates
dynamic movements of the TMJ
* Ligaments - the fibrous tissue that connects the
maxilla and the mandible.
* Lateral pterygoid - is a muscle of mastication
with two heads
Without the temporomandibular joints, one will be
unable to perform mouth gestures without
experiencing excruciating pain, so it is important
that we do not abuse our TMJ's, especially when we
wolf down large amounts of food or when we chew hard
food.
But in some cases, a TMJ Disorder, or a TMD can
be caused by a traumatic injury from an accident, or
by arthritis and muscle fatigue gained from overuse
of the jaw, say in clenching/grinding the teeth.
Depending on the severity of the TMJ disorder, the
one suffering from the TMD will know if the pain can
be alleviated through self care or if surgical
intervention should be required.
There are several factors that may cause a TMD,
more specifically when one of these areas of the
mouth suffer an injury or exhibit arthritis:
* The TMJ itself
* Neighboring bone/muscle structures near the TMJ
* Gums
* Teeth
Whereas most of the time the cause of the TMJ can
be explained, there are still some cases that TMJ
appears randomly because of an unexplained muscular
or skeletal phenomena that disrupts the blood
circulation in the TMJ. In some cases, people often
wake up having a TMD, because of an improper resting
position of the jaw.
Below are just a few common and unsafe habits
that can lead to TMD:
* Teeth grinding and teeth clenching
* Awkward jaw positions
* Potassium deficiency
* Habitual gum chewing
* Fingernail biting
* Unattended malocclusion of teeth
* Unattended fractured jaw
* Stress
There are two ways to treat TMJ Disorders:
Surgical and non-surgical.
Below is a list of recommended
procedures/remedies for people whose TMJ disorder is
not severe enough to require surgical intervention:
* Temporarily refraining from activities that can
worsen the TMD, like wide-mouth yawning, and
refraining from eating hard-to-chew foods.
* Rehabilitory exercises, stress management and
therapy sessions to hasten the recovery process.
* Ultrasound to promote better blood circulation
which, in turn, wards off accumulated lactic acid in
the TMJ.
* Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation that
reboots weakened nerve fibers.
* Anesthetic or pill-form muscle relaxants to block
painful impulses as the joint/s slowly recover.
And lastly, the following are surgical procedures
done on patients with severe or seemingly
irreversible cases of TMD or when non-surgical TMJ
treatments fail to exhibit any improvements:
* Arthocentesis - the removal of synovial fluid
from the temporomandibular joint
* Arthotomy - open joint surgery that aims to
anatomically study and subsequently repair the
damaged disk of the TMJ.
* Arthroplasty - the surgical remodeling of the
contour of the TMJ/reconstruction or replacement of
the TMJ.
