Common Causes of TMJ Pain
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A lot of different factors can cause temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, pain, or dysfunctions. Some of these factors include injuries sustained from blows to the jaw, teeth that do not fit together properly or what dentists and medical professionals refer to as malocclusion, and constant teeth grinding and jaw clenching due to extreme stress. Some medical practitioners speculate that not eating properly can also cause TMJ pain.
Not eating properly can cause the disorder when there is excessive stress on the joint in spite of the fair amount of use it receives during the daily chewing of food. Excessive stress on the joint can result to jaw clicking, sinus problems, headaches, and even hearing loss.
A blow to the jaw that causes injury can damage your TMJ. Although this can rarely happen, it can cause serious problem to your TMJ. A blow to the jaw can cause it to misalign and therefore, the TMJ sustains damage. You can also suffer from hearing loss if you have received a blow to your jaw. You might seek help from an ear doctor assuming that you are suffering from an ear problem. With the TMJ being close to the ear, the real injury might be in your jaw joint that has caused some inflammation in your hearing mechanism. This kind of problem is often difficult to diagnose as doctors might be looking at the wrong problem. Typically, a dentist or a TMJ specialist can provide you with the appropriate remedy and relief. Other injuries sustained in the neck or face can also cause jaw muscles to continuously place strain on your TMJ.
When your teeth do not follow a proper fit, you are said to have malocclusion. Malocclusion can result to an unnatural bite that you might barely notice. This condition can be caused by the wear and tear of the teeth or by improper dental work or by dentures that do not fit well. Ill-fitting dentures can cause your bite to become misaligned, placing more stress on your TMJ than usual. If you have not noticed that you have developed an unnatural bite due to malocclusion, you can form an unnatural manner of chewing and turn it into habit that can cause excessive strain on your TMJ. Your facial muscles might also compensate for ill-fitting teeth or dentures. This can result to added muscle tension and can cause pain and manifest different kinds of TMJ disorder symptoms. Malocclusion can cause TMJ disorders, and it can also worsen them.
Stress can cause you to grind your teeth or clench your jaw, even in your sleep. Sleeping on your stomach can also cause you to unconsciously clench your jaw or grind your teeth. Over time, this clenching and grinding can result to muscle pain and develop into a headache. This can also displace the disc in your jaw and can cause pain on your TMJ.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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