The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) & TMJ Disorders

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint located just in front of the left/right ear. It is the ball-and-socket joint that conjoins the maxilla and the mandible. The TMJ's primary role is to establish smooth jaw movements that include biting, swallowing chewing, talking and yawning. The complexity of the TMJ structure is overwhelmingly sophisticated and sensitive because it is comprised of muscles, tendons and bones that reinforce smooth and dynamic jaw movements.

There are six main components of the TMJ, namely:

* Mandibular condyles - is the round bump connects the maxilla and the mandible
* Articular surface - the cartilage of the temporal bone
* Capsule - once opened, the capsule exposes the disk of the joint.
* Articular disc - the thin plate that facilitates dynamic movements of the TMJ
* Ligaments - the fibrous tissue that connects the maxilla and the mandible.
* Lateral pterygoid - is a muscle of mastication with two heads

Without the temporomandibular joints, one will be unable to perform mouth gestures without experiencing excruciating pain, so it is important that we do not abuse our TMJ's, especially when we wolf down large amounts of food or when we chew hard food.

But in some cases, a TMJ Disorder, or a TMD can be caused by a traumatic injury from an accident, or by arthritis and muscle fatigue gained from overuse of the jaw, say in clenching/grinding the teeth. Depending on the severity of the TMJ disorder, the one suffering from the TMD will know if the pain can be alleviated through self care or if surgical intervention should be required.

There are several factors that may cause a TMD, more specifically when one of these areas of the mouth suffer an injury or exhibit arthritis:

* The TMJ itself
* Neighboring bone/muscle structures near the TMJ
* Gums
* Teeth

Whereas most of the time the cause of the TMJ can be explained, there are still some cases that TMJ appears randomly because of an unexplained muscular or skeletal phenomena that disrupts the blood circulation in the TMJ. In some cases, people often wake up having a TMD, because of an improper resting position of the jaw.

Below are just a few common and unsafe habits that can lead to TMD:

* Teeth grinding and teeth clenching
* Awkward jaw positions
* Potassium deficiency
* Habitual gum chewing
* Fingernail biting
* Unattended malocclusion of teeth
* Unattended fractured jaw
* Stress

There are two ways to treat TMJ Disorders: Surgical and non-surgical.

Below is a list of recommended procedures/remedies for people whose TMJ disorder is not severe enough to require surgical intervention:

* Temporarily refraining from activities that can worsen the TMD, like wide-mouth yawning, and refraining from eating hard-to-chew foods.
* Rehabilitory exercises, stress management and therapy sessions to hasten the recovery process.
* Ultrasound to promote better blood circulation which, in turn, wards off accumulated lactic acid in the TMJ.
* Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation that reboots weakened nerve fibers.
* Anesthetic or pill-form muscle relaxants to block painful impulses as the joint/s slowly recover.

And lastly, the following are surgical procedures done on patients with severe or seemingly irreversible cases of TMD or when non-surgical TMJ treatments fail to exhibit any improvements:

* Arthocentesis - the removal of synovial fluid from the temporomandibular joint
* Arthotomy - open joint surgery that aims to anatomically study and subsequently repair the damaged disk of the TMJ.
* Arthroplasty - the surgical remodeling of the contour of the TMJ/reconstruction or replacement of the TMJ.