TMJ pain & treatment Harley Street, London W1

TMJ disorder and putting off treatment can lead to additional dental health issues. The grinding and clenching of teeth caused by TMJ and bruxism can lead to worn down and fractured teeth. Due to the misalignment of the jaw, TMJ sufferers often favour one side of the jaw over the other, and this could cause unsymmetrical muscle growth or swelling on one side of your face, causing an asymmetrical appearance.

With TMJ disorder, your teeth can more rapidly be worn than if your jaw is properly aligned. This can lead to wear on your teeth that is uneven, the range of jaw motion being reduced or loss and the recession of gums. If you have any pain in your teeth or jaw the root cause could be TMJ.

The unaligned bite caused by TMJ disorder can have a ripple effect that affects your shoulder muscles, back and neck. Tight, contracted and sore jaw muscles tilt the head which causes overcompensation by the neck, back and shoulder muscles. This causes pain throughout the upper body.

A misaligned bite can cause the nerves and muscles through your face, jaw, neck and shoulders to spasm. This in itself can cause pinched nerves that lead down to your arm, causing tingling and numbness in your fingers, hands and arms. Almost half of people who suffer with TMJ suffer these symptoms, and the numbness and tingling can vary in intensity.

Slight grinding of the teeth isn’t necessarily a serious issue unless it is done unconsciously whilst you are asleep. This is known as Bruxism and can be very painful. It results in a worn out tooth surface, and sometimes even fractured teeth.

TMJ disorder can have serious effects on your entire body posture. When your bite is unbalanced, your muscle activity and the length of your muscles will be similarly unbalanced. If muscles are contracted too much it creates a posture that leans and slouches forward. This has a ripple effect throughout your body, which if not lined up properly can result in a decrease of the physical performance of the body. This can cause you to feel increasingly tired and sluggish through the day.

People with TMJ will very commonly suffer pain in their face. As TMJ disorder affects neck, face and head muscles, if a nerve gets pinched the pain can cause discomfort in your face. The bad bite that dislocates the jaw and surrounding muscles can cause pain behind the eyes as well as pain in the face.

Earaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears or a congested feeling in your ears can be traced to TMJ disorder. The misaligned jaw makes your ear canal sensitive and affects the muscles and nerves in your ears. This can cause vertigo, dizziness, pain in the ear, sinus pain, reduced hearing and a feeling of congestion in your ears.

One of the most common complaints TMJ disorder suffer from, headaches are caused when the TMJ is out of alignment. This causes muscle tension in your face, neck and shoulders, which leads to tension headaches. They can also be caused by the build-up of blood pressure due to the muscles straining. Tension headaches can be extremely painful, to the point that they are often misdiagnosed as migraines.

If the jaw is not aligned in the proper position, it causes the TMJ disc to become displaced and the closing of the join spaces. This could result in popping or clicking sensations when you open or close your mouth. This can happen when yawning, or during biting or eating. In extreme instances, the displacement of the TMJ disc can case the jaw to lock if you open your mouth wide, which can cause problems with closing one’s mouth. This needs a doctor’s attention as it it’s a serious condition.

Due to the jaw’s placement directly beneath the ears, TMJ disorder can lead to hearing issues such as tinnitus, as well as damaged hearing and inner ear issues. Problems with the inner ear can cause balance difficulties as well as recurring dizziness.

There are other medical conditions that can arise from the effects of TMJ disorder on a patient. A number of patients will change their diet as a result of the pain and limited jaw motion by either not eating much or only eating soft foods and liquids, which could cause nutrition issues. The pain and grinding of teeth can cause issues with sleep as well, including disturbed sleep or insomnia.