Category Archives: TMJ

I bet many of you didn’t know we treated TMJ Disorders and other Facial Pain Syndromes. This picture tells it all in regards to the complex neurology and anatomy in the face and neck! Tag someone you know who grits their teeth or their jaw locks up. There are ways to treat this than just […]

The assessment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) is recognized as integral to the practice of dentistry and physical therapists who treat these conditions. The context of joint sounds as a predictor of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is not highly predictable due to a common variation of normality amongst people. Therefore, pain associated with activities using the […]

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs) are musculoskeletal disorders affecting the jaw joint and chewing muscles. Common symptoms are pain in the orofacial region, restricted jaw movement and sounds originating in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The restrictions in the range of how much someone can open/close their mouth are due to mandibular range of motion deficits. Restrictions […]

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD), also known to most as Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) pain, is defined as : ‘aching in the muscles of mastication, sometimes with occasional brief severe pain on chewing, often associated with restricted jaw movement and clicking or popping sounds Many treatment methods can be used to: relieve pain gain sufficient muscle power provide […]

The treatment of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain under the umbrella term of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a challenging and difficult symptom to treat. It belongs to the group of chronic facial disorders and affect about 10–15% of the total population with women suffering twice as much as men do. Sorry ladies! There are many reasons […]

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a synovial joint containing an articular disk and allowing for hinge and sliding movements. Such complicated movements are necessary for chewing, swallowing, and speaking. Generally speaking, most people who say they have TMJ have regarded the condition as only having localized orofacial pain and dysfunction. However, we want to educate […]

Many questions may arise that you want to ask your dentist during your scheduled appointment. Other than actual tooth (dental) questions, this 1 concern that is typically inquired about in a dental office: What can I do for Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) pain? TMJ pain (known better now as Temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD) are thought […]

Mouth guards, also known as occlusal appliances or splints are a part of the treatment of temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ). This subset of treatment is known as occlusion related therapies and is commonly used as a basic dental treatment to help with TMJ pain amongst other things. Occlusal appliances are commonly used in the treatment […]

What is temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain? Even though most people think temporomandibular joint (TMJ) alone is what causes jaw pain and dysfunction, this term is actually under a group of pathologies affecting the masticatory muscles, the joint itself and related structures. These compromise a more global term called temporomandibular disorders (TMD). TMD is the most […]

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) pain, under the umbrella conditions of Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is defined as ‘‘aching in the muscles of mastication, sometimes with occasional brief severe pain on chewing, often associated with restricted jaw movement and clicking or popping sounds.’’ Mandibular depression (mouth opening) with forward posture. There is a strong association between neck pain, […]

Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound without an accompanying external auditory stimulus. Even though tinnitus can normally be caused by actual otologic (ear) conditions, it can also be modulated by somatosensory systems, including the neck and the jaw. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the most frequent tinnitus modulating region. In fact, the incidence […]

Dry Needling for TMJ pain relief Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most complex joints of human body, being the part of stomatognathic system composed of masseter muscles, head and neck muscles, ligaments, teeth, cheeks, lips, and salivary gland. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is the main reason of orofacial pain which is not caused by […]

TMJ dysfunction has consistently been found to be larger in female vs male genders.  Even though studies do not have an exact consensus on why, here are 5 reasons that are proposed.  Make sure you stick around for #5! Females typically are more flexible than men. The joint laxity from genetic origin can make the […]

What type of TMJ pain do you have? Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is a collective term designating a number of clinical conditions that involve the masticatory musculature and/or temporomandibular joints (TMJ). When diagnosing and treating TMD, two classification schemes are used by your physical therapist. The Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) divides TMD into two syndromes […]

Does grinding my teeth mean I have TMJ issues? To preface this post, the phrase, “Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) issues” can be quite broad. Medically speaking, we relate this common expression to the umbrella category of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD). For so long, everyone has considered pain and dysfunction a TMJ issue, but we are moving more […]

Why do I wake up with tightness in my jaw? Have you noticed that you have pain in your cheeks and jaw every morning when you wake up? This is usually due to grinding your teeth at night, or bruxism. Bruxism commonly occurs during sleep, but it can also occur during the day. Although most […]

How do you diagnose sleep bruxism? Sleep bruxism is a repetitive stereotypical sleep-related movement disorder. It is characterized by teeth grinding and clenching. Most patients think of bruxism at night after someone told them they grind their teeth or a dentist asked if they grind their teeth at night. The gold standard for diagnosing sleep […]

Although sleep apnea treatment’s gold standard is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, sleep apnea mouth appliances (or oral appliances) are becoming more popular. The mandibular advancement device therapy is increasingly recognized as a viable treatment for obstructive sleep apnea  (Aarab, Lobbezoo, Hamburger, & Naeije, 2011; Ramar et al., 2015). In April 2020, Nikolopoulou and colleagues performed […]