Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder, also called TMJ d=Dysfunction, is a condition that affects adults and even children across the country and worldwide. It can affect your ability to chew and speak, as well as interfere with your quality of life as it results in chronic pain that can be anywhere from mild or moderate to severe or debilitating in nature. Pain or discomfort from TMJ/TMD can spread from the face and jaw joints to the head, neck, or even the back and extremities like the arms, legs, hands, or feet. Today on the blog, TMJ Dentist Dr. Priya Mistry shares a comprehensive guide to help you understand TMJ Disorder, common symptoms, and how to get relief from your pain.
TMJ Dysfunction Symptoms
Symptoms of TMJ dysfunction vary, but may include these most common symptoms:
- Jaw pain that can feel dull, achy, sharp, stabbing, tingling, numbing, and/or burning
- Facial pain at the cheekbones, eyebrows, center of the forehead
- Ear pain, stuffy ears, hearing loss, tinnitus (ear ringing), and/or dizziness
- Difficulty or pain when chewing or opening wide
- Limited jaw mobility or inability to open your mouth wide like to yawn or bite into an apple
- Jaw locking closed or catching – when the jaw locks closed, the mouth CAN STILL open – but not to the full range of motion. Usually with the jaw locking closed, opening is limited to 1-2 finger widths.
How TMJ Disorder Impacts Life
Living with TMJ Disorder can affect your daily life with self-care, eating, or speaking, and in moderate and severe cases, can lead to mood disorders or depression.
Here are some of the ways that TMJ disorder could affect your quality of life:
Difficulty Eating
Eating or chewing often exacerbates jaw pain associated with TMJ/TMD. It can make opening the mouth wide to take a bite of a sandwich difficult or painful, which could prevent you from enjoying your favorite foods. In some cases, jaw pain when eating can be so severe the sufferer may only be able to open their mouth very little, allowing them to chew very few foods. This, over time, could lead to a lack of proper nutrition.
Speaking Challenges
Living with TMJ Disorder could impact your ability to speak clearly since talking involves jaw movement, which could be painful if you have jaw joint dysfunction. Muscle dysfunction due to TMJ/TMD can also cause slurring of speech.
Sleep Disruptions
TMJ disorder can also interfere with sleep. In some cases, pain worsens at night, which could result in episodes of insomnia or waking up due to pain. A lack of quality sleep is likely to cause fatigue and other health problems.
Mental Health Impact
Chronic pain often impacts the state of one’s mental health because dealing with pain disrupts one’s ability to perform daily tasks and may cause the sufferer to retreat and rest in bed or on the couch, avoiding friends and family. Unfortunately, isolation and lack of activity to this extent may impact one’s mental health or lead to depression, increased stress, and poor overall health.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder Dentist in Vancouver, WA – near Portland, OR
Overall, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder could reduce your quality of life if you’re unable to take care of yourself, have difficulty going to work and getting through the day, or avoid family and friends. If you experience jaw joint pain, our TMJ doctor in Vancouver, Dr. Priya Mistry recommends scheduling a TMJ Examination to determine if TMJ/TMD could be the source of your pain. Dr. Mistry provides non-surgical treatments for TMJ Disorder that can have you living pain-free! If you’re ready to get your life back, contact Dr. Priya Mistry (The TMJ Doc) by calling (503) 255-8293.
