What Are The Three Types of TMJ?
If you are experiencing jaw pain that is getting in the way of daily life—such as how you eat, talk, and speak—you may be experiencing TMJ. TMJ is a challenging condition to treat because everyone has different root causes, severity levels, and types of TMJ. This makes TMJ treatment far from cookie-cutter. However, living a normal life without jaw pain is possible. The first step is knowing what type of TMJ you have and speaking to a TMJ specialist to help with the right course of treatment. Keep reading to learn more about the three types of TMJ and how a TMJ specialist can help finally rid you of your jaw pain.
What is TMJ?
Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders, commonly called “TMJ,” are a group of conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement. We don’t know for certain how many people have TMJ disorders, but some estimates suggest that over 10 million Americans are affected. The condition appears to be more common in women than men.
For most people, pain in the area of the jaw joint or muscles does not signal a serious problem. Generally, discomfort from these conditions is occasional and temporary, often occurring in cycles. The pain eventually goes away with little or no treatment. Some people, however, develop significant, long-term symptoms.
What Causes TMJ?
As mentioned, there are many different causes of TMJ. It all depends on what type of TMJ you have, whether you have had an injury, and other factors. Some of the things that can cause TMJ to develop include:
- Injury. An injury to your jaw, neck, head, or even your shoulders could cause your muscles to be thrown off balance and, in turn, cause pain in your jaw.
- Bruxism. Grinding your teeth at night, also known as bruxism, is one way to develop TMJ. This is difficult to treat because most people have no idea that they are doing it!
- Arthritis. Arthritis can be a major contributor to TMJ pain and is one of the three types of TMJ.
- Bad posture. Working at a computer for long hours, sitting for long hours, or otherwise having poor posture can cause your muscles to be thrown off balance and subsequently cause jaw pain.
- Dental history. Sometimes, dental work can cause TMJ if a new filling, crown, or other dental work creates an uneven bite.
Mouth breathing. Not breathing through your nose can cause physical changes in your face. These changes can cause painful TMJ symptoms.
Symptoms of TMJ
Wondering if your jaw pain is just temporary or if it could potentially be TMJ? Here are some of the most common symptoms of TMJ to watch out for:
- Jaw pain
- Pain in the neck and shoulders
- Teeth pain
- Ear pain
- Tinnitus
- Sounds coming from the jaw, such as clicking or popping
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
- Fatigue
- Migraines
- Difficulty eating or drinking
- Pain that disrupts regular daily life
- Snoring
If you experience most, some, or all of the above symptoms, it is important to speak to a TMJ specialist as soon as possible. TMJ does not go away on its own—it worsens over time and can lead to serious health issues.
Three Types of TMJ
There are three different types of TMJ depending on your root cause, symptoms, and severity of pain. No matter which type of TMJ you are suffering from, there is a way to treat it and get back to a life free of jaw pain and stiffness. The three types of TMJ include normal TMJ, dislocated TMJ, and arthritis TMJ.
Normal TMJ
Normal TMJ refers to the pain in the muscles that control the movement of the jaw. It can also be known as myofascial pain. The pain is typically associated with trigger points in muscles. These trigger points radiate pain to the affected area when pressure is applied to them — and sometimes spontaneously with no pressure. Sometimes, this pain can be in what seems to be an unrelated part of the body.
The primary symptoms of myofascial pain syndrome are:
- Localized muscle pain
- Trigger points that activate the pain
- Muscle stiffness
- Fatigue
- Poor sleep
- Headaches
- Postural abnormalities such as hunching, shoulder rounding, or forward head posture (not aligned with the spine)
Dislocated TMJ
If you are suffering from dislocated TMJ, you can very likely pinpoint a place and time when your jaw started hurting. Displacement of the jaw joint will cause the muscles around it to overcompensate and overwork on both sides to function, which can cause severe pain. Your jaw won’t go back into place on it’s own; dislocated TMJ requires treatment in order to get the jaw back to its natural position and your muscles back to proper working order.
Some causes of dislocated TMJ include:
- Injury to your jaw
- Held your mouth open too wide
- Held your mouth open for too long
- Eating large foods such as hamburgers or apples
- After a dental procedure
- After vomiting
If you have a dislocated jaw, you most likely feel as if you cannot close your mouth all the way, that your jaw is out of position, it feels frozen, stiff, or swollen, and there is a significant amount of pain and tenderness.
Arthritis TMJ
Arthritis can affect the size of the jaw, and patients can experience problems with the jaw joint (known as the temporomandibular joint or TMJ) which are similar to other joint difficulties with RA. It is estimated that in more than 17% of patients with RA or juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), the jaw joint is affected, commonly resulting in pain, swelling, and limited movement of the joint.
Signs you may have arthritis TMJ include:
- Aching
- Clicking
- Difficulty eating hard, chewy foods
- Scraping noise
- Dislocation of the jaw
With all types of arthritis, there are some ways you can help alleviate your pain. These methods won’t cure your arthritis TMJ, but it will help you on a daily basis to manage difficult and painful symptoms. They include:
- Resting your jaw
- Using hot and cold therapy
- Arthritis pain cream
- Jaw exercises
How to Treat TMJ
No matter what kind of TMJ you are suffering from, you can be treated and life a normal life free of pain, tenderness, stiffness, and discomfort.
At Gorman Health and Wellness, Dr. Gorman recommends that patients wear their TMJ oral appliance every night while sleeping. The pressure the appliance applies works to gradually move the teeth and/or jaw(s) into the proper position. Once optimal occlusion is achieved, the device helps maintain ideal positioning.
In conjunction with wearing an oral appliance and receiving care from a TMJ specialist, you can implement other lifestyle changes and ways to manage your TMJ pain.
- Lifestyle changes. In order to avoid flaring up your TMJ pain and making it worse, it is important to make certain lifestyle changes such as avoiding chewing gum, eating hard or crunchy foods such as apples, and avoiding large foods such as hamburgers while you’re receiving treatment for your TMJ pain.
- Myofascial exercises. Jaw stretching, massaging, and oral exercises are helpful for pain relief. While they won’t cure TMJ alone, they are very helpful with managing symptoms on a daily basis as you receive care.
- Get snoring help. If you are a snorer, addressing this issue can help your TMJ symptoms. As mentioned, breathing through your mouth can worsen symptoms, as can keeping your mouth open for long periods of time—both of which happen at night while you are snoring.
TMJ Specialist
The good news about TMJ is that the prognosis is good, as most individuals respond well to treatment. Success rates of treatment are significantly enhanced when a comprehensive approach that addresses occlusion, muscle/joint balance, and stress management is employed.
Here is the process of getting TMJ treatment from a TMJ specialist:
- Complete in-office assessment, including a computer evaluation of head/neck/biting forces and their relationship to healthy muscle and joint positioning
- Customized oral appliance designed to correct bite alignment and any imbalances between the muscles and joints. In addition, the appliance makes clenching the teeth almost impossible, helping alleviate pain and pressure associated with stress-related clenching throughout the day.
- Co-therapies such as cranial adjustments, chiropractic adjustments, myofunctional therapy, and others to treat the exact cause(s) of your TMJ and achieve the most successful resolution of your symptoms
If TMJ is Left Untreated
Not ready to commit to a treatment plan with a TMJ specialist? TMJ does not go away on its own; in fact, it is a chronic condition that worsens over time and can severely impact your life. Some of the ways untreated TMJ can affect you include:
- Worsening jaw pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Tinnitus and other ear issues
- Dental issues from grinding and misalignment
- Sleep apnea due to mouth breathing
- Depression and anxiety
- Addiction to pain medication
- Permanent jaw damage
TMJ Treatment with Gorman Health and Wellness
Dr. Gorman is a part of the breathing wellness movement, which aims to increase awareness and improve treatment for sleep-related airway conditions like sleep apnea, which can oftentimes be caused by TMJ.
He has partnered with organizations focused on collaborating with dentists to apply the sciences of Craniofacial Epigenetics (the study of cranial modifications caused by gene expression as opposed to genetic code alteration) and Pneumopedics® (the practical application of oral appliance therapy and non-surgical airway remodeling) in the management of sleep apnea.
Together, applying these sciences allows for underlying causes of airway obstruction to be treated in 98% of cases, resulting in a high success rate among sleep apnea patients. For every sleep apnea case at our practice, Dr. Gorman will gather patient data and determine the patient’s specific needs based on home sleep test results, dental impressions, CT scans, and images. Our state-of-the-art technology, paired with Dr. Gorman’s experience with sleep disorders, allows him to find the most effective treatment plan for each individual’s particular case, yielding improved daytime and nighttime breathing for the patient.
“I have been helping people suffering from Sleep Apnea with a non-invasive, clinically approved treatment method. This method has allowed my patients to sleep with far fewer events per hour, allowing them to get rid of their CPAP and BiPAP machines. Imagine not having to use one of those machines, getting back a much greater quality of life along with the benefits of being able to breathe better.” – Dr. Gorman.
For more information on Dr. Gorman and improving your TMJ pain, contact us today.
