It is unfortunate that many clinicians resort to guesswork or outdated treatment methods when treating TMJ despite major discoveries and advances in diagnosis and treatment.
Clinical trials and scientific evidence support Dr. Reddy's precise and patient-centered therapies.
There are two types of TMD (temporomandibular disorders): joint disorders and muscle disorders. Some patients suffer from both. This is why getting an accurate diagnosis is so essential. Read more below:
TMJ is an acronym for a group of disorders that involve the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), jaw muscles, face muscles, ligaments and associated structures. Temporomandibular joints are made up of the temporal bone, the mandible (lower jaw bone) and the joint connecting them all. Symptoms of TMJ include mild to severe jaw and face pain, limited opening of the jaw, lock jaw, jaw clicking, jaw popping and headaches.
Aside from chewing muscles and jaw joints, pain can also be experienced in the area before the ear (called the pre-auricular area) and around the ear as well. It usually affects the chewing muscles, including the masseter, the temporalis, and the pterygoid muscles.
When chewing or yawning, the jaw pain is usually aggravated. As opposed to electric or throbbing pain, which indicates other conditions, the pain is described as achy, pressure, sharp and/or dull. The painful episodes can last for short periods of time, and improve on their own, or last for a long period of time and become chronic.
“The pain is aggravated by jaw movements such as chewing, yawning, and others. ”
TMJ can stem from a variety of sources, be it muscular with overuse of chewing muscles or joint related due to injury or medical comorbidities. Contributing factors include eating chewy sore foods, wide yawning, excessive talking, nail biting, and gritting or clenching teeth. Such ailments as migraines, fibromyalgia, lower back pain and facial injury may also be linked with TMJ. Pain is often more extreme if the sufferer has a lack of restful sleep, depression/anxiety or another medical condition. Both neck and TMJ pain can aggravate each other since the nerves controlling them are connected in the brainstem's pain center.
TMJ/TMD treatment plans must be tailored to each person's unique needs. An in-depth exam and diagnosis is essential to begin any kind of treatment. Options may include therapeutic injections, orthotics (known as splints, mouth guards, nightguards or occlusal guards), medications, creams, botox©, rehabilitation exercises or physical therapy.
A TMJ therapy should never include grinding down otherwise healthy teeth. It is unwise to suggest to the patient that grinding their otherwise healthy natural teeth may contribute to their pain. Dental and scientific literature have debunked this concept of “correcting the bite” by either grinding down teeth (occlusal adjustments), restoring them with crowns, or moving them with braces.
TMJ is best diagnosed by a thorough history, interview, and clinical examination. The clinical examination involves palpating the jaw's muscles, tendons, bones, and joints. A TMJ specialist will also conduct a cranial nerve screening checking for any abnormalities, evaluate your neck, and ask about headaches and sleep problems.
Depending on those findings, Dr. Reddy may request diagnostic imaging (x-rays of the jaw, CT scans, or MRIs) and blood tests. TMJ disorders can be diagnosed without advanced and expensive imaging, or with expensive gadgets. Although these gadgets appear impressive, they have not been proven to be objective or accurate for diagnosing them.
One of the questions most often asked is if TMJ and headaches are related. Patients may experience TMD related headaches, which usually present as pain in the temples, front of ears, upper and lower jaws. This type of headache is usually more severe in the morning when they wake up. It can be difficult to diagnose TMJ due to the fact that both conditions may resemble one another: patients with headaches may not improve with a mouthguard made for TMJ, while those suffering from migraines or tension-type headaches may experience heightened pain from any trigeminal nerve issues (jaw muscle pain, toothaches, joint pain or sinus issues).
With extensive experience diagnosing and treating TMJ and headaches, Dr. Reddy will help you determine whether your headache, jaw and facial pain are due to migraines, tension-type headaches, or TMJ.
