Do you experience jaw pain? Or do you clinch and grind your
teeth? If so, then you're not alone. It's estimated that over 20% of the
general population at one time or another have symptoms relating to the
temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Your jaw or the TMJ is the most
frequently used joint in the body. It's also one of the most complex
joints. Much like the knee joint, a small disc of cartilage cushions and
separates the TMJ so the jaw may move easily. Each time you talk, chew
or swallow you move the TMJ.
The jaw has three functional motions:
opening / closing, side-to-side and protrusion / retraction. When the
mouth is opened, the TMJ first rotates around a horizontal axis. And as
you open your mouth wider, the motion is then combined with gliding of
the jaw forward and downward. When you close your mouth the motion is
reversed.
A common jaw problem is TMJ dysfunction syndrome. TMJ
dysfunction syndrome typically occurs in women between the ages of 20
and 40 years. Early signs and symptoms include jaw clicking, tenderness
to the muscles in front of the ear and back of the teeth and dull aching
pain in the joint. These symptoms are often followed by spasms of the
jaw muscles characterized by pain on movement of the jaw during chew and
talking. Gradually, the pain becomes worse and is accompanied by
decrease mobility.
Chronic and untreated TMJ dysfunction syndrome
can displace the cartilage that causes pressure and stretching of the
associated soft tissues and sensory nerves. The displaced cartilage can
get trap in certain position when you open your mouth causing your jaw
to lock up.
When you clinch and grind your teeth, you increase the
wear of the cartilage lining of the joint. You'll also increase the
stress and strain of the associated jaw muscles including the pterygoid,
masseter, temporalis and digastric muscles. These muscles are often
tight, sore and pain sensitive to touch.
Typical symptoms of TMJ
dysfunction syndrome include ear pain, sore jaw muscles, temple
headache, jaw pop or clicking, difficulty opening mouth and neck aches.
However, people who clinch their teeth a lot may also experience
dizziness, disequilibrium and feeling of pressure or fullness in their
ears and hear crackling sounds.
Regular clinching of the jaw may
also affect the tensor tympani and tensor veli palatini muscles. The
tensor tympani muscle controls the movement of the ear drum. When it
spasms you'll hear rumbling and crackling sounds. You'll often feel that
your ear drum is trembling and vibrating like when you're jumping on a
trampoline. The tensor veli palatini muscle controls the diameter of the
auditory tube. And when it spasms, you'll often feel pressure or
fullness in your ears.
There are a few things you can do to relief
TMJ pain. Avoid chewing gums and eat softer food until the pain
subsides. Wearing a mouth guard when you sleep may reduce the stress and
strain associated with teeth clinching and grinding. And stretching
your mouth may relief your TMJ pain.
Sit in a relax and
comfortable position. Now place your tongue in contact with the hard
palate as far back as possible while keeping your jaw in a retracted
position. Maintaining your tongue and jaw in this position, slowly and
rhythmically open your mouth in a limited range ten times. When you
finished with this warm up exercise, open your mouth as wide as possible
within the pain-free limit and hold this open mouth position for about
five seconds. Now relax and close your mouth for five seconds. Repeat
this exercise two to three times a day.
If you continue to
experience TMJ pain and associated problems despite D-I-Y remedies,
consider consulting with a chiropractor specializes with TMJ disorders.-By
Danny Tong
