Although there’s a variety of TMJ disorders, they share jaw pain as the most common symptom, says the NIDCR. Others include jaw stiffness, difficulty opening your jaw, your jaw feeling “locked,” painful clicking or popping when opening or closing your mouth, and a change in the way your upper and lower teeth fit together.
If your doctor thinks you might have a problem with your temporomandibular joints, they’ll probably perform a physical exam and imaging tests to see what’s going on. Luckily, the pain is typically temporary or at least doesn’t get worse, according to the NIDCR. That’s why the first line of treatment for the most common TMJ disorders is pretty conservative—mostly lifestyle modifications that we’ll talk about below. But if those don’t work, your doctor might talk to you about further interventions, the Mayo Clinic says, such as medication, physical therapy, injections, or (in serious cases) surgery.
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3. Something’s wrong with your bite.
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When you have a “good” bite, all of your teeth are lined up with each other when you chew, Dr. Glickman explains. But with a “bad” bite, you may only have a few teeth line up, like the ones in the back. Bad bites can come in various forms, like an overbite (when your upper teeth overlap your lower teeth) or underbite (when your lower teeth overlap your upper teeth).
Having an uneven bite means your jaw can’t function as it should, which can create wear and tear and resultant pain in its joints and muscles, Dr. Glickman says. Doctors can usually fix this with braces, but in extreme cases, surgery may be necessary.
4. You’re dealing with an untreated cavity.
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Plaque is a buildup of grody bacteria that come from food and drinks, and if you don’t clean it often enough, it can break down the enamel that coats your teeth. Boom, now you’ve got a cavity. But it’s when that cavity works its way into the dentin, the layer underneath the enamel, that you typically start to feel discomfort, Dr. Glickman says. If it continues down into the pulp of your tooth, it can cause pain to radiate around your jaw.
If your cavity is small, your dentist can fill it easily (hopefully without a long lecture, because sometimes cavities just happen, okay?!). But if it’s an advanced cavity, you may need a root canal, which involves going deeper to remove the diseased part of your tooth and fill that empty space.
5. You have an impacted wisdom tooth.
Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars people usually develop in their late teens and early 20s. Not everyone gets them since they don’t perform a function (you don’t need them to chew, luckily). But if you do get wisdom teeth, you’ll typically develop two on top and two on bottom. And if they don’t have enough room in your jaw to break through your gums properly, they can become trapped, or impacted. “This is common with third molars,” Gregory Ness, D.D.S., F.A.C.S., a professor of oral surgery at the Ohio State University, tells SELF, adding that it’s a prime suspect behind an achy jaw.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
