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Millions of people suffer from TMJ disorders, which include a number of disorders of the jaw joint and surrounding tissues. Some symptoms include clicking or popping sounds when you chew, and locking of the jaw or pain in the joint when you chew or open your mouth wide. Many ailments such as migraine headaches, neck and shoulder pain, dizziness, and ringing in the ears to name just a few, can also be caused by TMJ disorder. Due to the chronic pain, TMJ related problems may also lead to stress-related illnesses and depression. Many times these symptoms are misdiagnosed.

We can help ease the pain and treat the underlying causes of your problem. During each comprehensive examination, we closely examine the bite and jaw movements, and are able to detect and address any problems.

Recognizing the Symptoms of TMJ

Symptoms such as headaches, jaw clicking and popping, jaw tenderness, ringing in the ears, gum disease and balance disorders can be caused by TMJ Disorder. Other symptoms may be sinus pain, limited jaw movement, dizziness, and unexplained sore throats. Many times these symptoms have been incorrectly linked to other ailments. For instance, the most common of the symptoms — frequent headaches — was often lumped under the heading of migraines. We now know that the muscles that tighten during jaw clenching and teeth grinding can cause headaches.

Another symptom is neck and shoulder pain. While discomfort in this part of the body might seem unrelated to the mouth area, those who suffer from sore jaw muscles are likely to repeatedly tilt their heads, thereby forcing the neck, shoulder, and back muscles to compensate. Tingling or numbness in the hands and arms could also be an unsuspected sign of TMJ disorder, resulting from muscle spasms in the jaw, neck, back, and face that pinch nerves leading down the arms to the hands.