What Are The Symptoms and Causes of TMJ and TMD Problems?

As many as 30% of Canadians suffer from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. TMJ disorders are puzzling and enigmatic in many ways, including their wide variety of symptoms and apparent causes and risk factors. Even their name can be a challenge. You’ll often see TMJ disorders referred to as TMD disorders. Both of the acronyms TMD and TMJ refer to the same thing; they’re just different acronyms for the same word temporomandibular joint.

Understanding TMJ and TMD treatment in NW Calgary and how the disorders affect people may be easier with a brief anatomy lesson. The TMJ joint is actually two joints that attach your lower jaw (referred to as your mandible) to your skull (the temporal bone at the side and base of your skull). You can feel those joints at work if you place your fingertips part way between your ear and cheek on either side while opening and closing your jaw.

What are the symptoms of TMJ problems?

When the alignment of your TMJ is out of whack, other muscles in your face, head, neck and beyond have to work differently and sometimes harder to adjust. Those changes have a cascade of effects that can include pinched nerves that can produce back pain, problems maintaining balance and even tingling sensations in your arms, fingers, legs and toes.

The proximity of your TMJ or TMD joint to your ears can affect those ears, too. Stress, distortion or damage to your TMJ or TMD joint can produce symptoms such as ear pain, ringing in your ears (referred to as tinnitus), the sensation of clogged ears and even hearing loss.

We mentioned balance issues already, but TMJ and TMD joint disorders can also produce vertigo symptoms because they interfere with your body’s vestibular system that relies on a body part called the labyrinth in your inner ear quite close to the temporal bone. 

In much the same way that TMJ and TMD joint problems can affect your ears by mere physical proximity, they can also affect your tongue. Your tongue is attached to your lower jaw and any misalignment of your jaw joints can affect the position of your tongue in your mouth, throat and airways. TMJ or TMD issues can cause abnormal breathing, particularly while you sleep. 

One of the most commonly reported symptoms of TMJ and TMD disorders is pain in your neck, shoulders and back. All of those muscles work hard to keep your spine in the proper position and any distortion or overwork of those muscle systems can cause pain that will radiate throughout your torso and into your head. 

What causes TMJ disorders and symptoms?

There are a wide variety of known causes of TMJ pain and others that continue to be investigated. In addition to those known causes, there are other known risk factors for increasing your risk of experiencing TMJ-related pain. Causes of pain affecting your TMJ include: trauma or dysfunction affecting the muscles that control your jaw and that connect your neck and shoulder muscles to your face and jaw muscles; damage in the internal portions of the TMJ joint itself, such as a dislocated or displaced disc; and degenerative conditions affecting the joint, such as arthritis. 

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms of TMJ or TMD disorders, or any other unexplained symptoms, mention them to a dentist near you right away. Your dentist in NW Calgary can help to diagnose the disorders and address the symptoms by such simple interventions as mouth guards and adjusting the way your upper and lower teeth meet. Your dentist and their staff will also offer advice about home remedies and DIY therapies, while supporting you in obtaining further TMJ and TMD treatment near you if necessary.