The technical name for the human jaw is a real mouthful: the temporomandibular joint, more easily referred to as the TMJ. A lot of different things can result in jaw pain. At Vitangeli Dental in Englewood OH, we can treat it, in particular a painful condition known as TMD.
Your jaw is a complex joint connecting the lower jaw to the skull. It is unique in that it lets you move your jaw from side to side, front to back, and open and closed. Disorders in this joint can cause pain in the joint itself, or in the muscles that let you move it.
Finding the exact cause of jaw pain can be difficult. It may be caused by sinusitis, the inflammation of the tissues that line your sinuses. When these tissues are inflamed, the sinuses exert pressure on surrounding areas. If the inflamed sinus is near the jaw, pain in the jaw joint may result. This commonly happens with a cold or allergies.
Apart from sinusitis, there are three common TMJ disorders:
- Muscle complications. The muscles that move the jaw do a lot of work. Excessive chewing and talking, opening the jaw too wide, or clenching and grinding the teeth can all lead to pain.
- Joint and disc displacement. These result from trauma to the joint or its disc, which is soft cartilage that acts as a kind of shock absorber.
- Arthritis. Arthritis, unfortunately, can affect any of your joints. Arthritis in the jaw is usually caused by a missing or deformed disc.
At Vitangeli Dental in Englewood OH, jaw evaluations are part of any routine dental exam. If we find any problems we can recommend a course of TMD treatment. Other services include general dentistry. If you’re experiencing jaw pain or another dental issue, please schedule an appointment with us today
Contact Vitangeli Dental:
937-836-3565
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
320 Union Blvd
Englewood, Ohio
45322
