235 North Northwest Highway
Palatine, IL 60067
Raymond R Copeland Ltd
915 N Milwaukee Ave # A
Libertyville, IL, 60048-1973
Dr. Frank Angus, D.D.S.
2400 Pagehurst Drive
Libertyville, IL, 60048
(804) 794-6839
Showers, Paul F D.D.S.
1117 S Milwaukee Ave # B5
Libertyville, IL, 60048-5259
Paul F Showers Pc
1117 S Milwaukee Ave # B5
Libertyville, IL, 60048-5259
The first symptom you may notice is that you can't eat a Big Mac anymore; it's just too big for your mouth.
Or you have a headache and your shoulders are stiff; the pain fluctuates from bothersome to excruciating.
Or chewing gum becomes torture, and you find yourself ordering soup and yogurt.
These are some of the signs of a TMJ disorder.
The term is a catchall for a variety of disorders relating to the temporomandibular joint-or TMJ-of the jaw.
The TMJ, which lies just in front of the ears, is a complex system of bone, cartilage, muscle and nerve that when working properly gives the jaw tremendous versatility and strength.
When the joint is abused by teeth grinding, injured by a blow to the jaw or head, or weakened by age, jaw pain can result. Stress, trauma, a bad bite, or arthritis can strain the jaw beyond design.
Dentists are more familiar today than in previous generations with the symptoms: jaw clicking, jaw popping, migraine, headache and the causes and treatments for the complex disorders.
A more stressful society is also taking its physical toll. The most dramatic research shows one in five Americans suffer from some degree of TMJ disorder. More conservative estimates put the number at one in 10.
However, many of those cases only may reveal themselves through a rather benign clicking or popping in the jaw.
In turn, the treatments prescribed by TMJ treatment clinics range from counseling and psychological therapy to splints and, in severe cases, surgery.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
Some 10 million people suffer from some form of TMJ Disorder: from jaw clicking or jaw popping whenever they yawn to intense migraine-like pain in the area around their ears. The temporomandibular joint is the hinge between your jaw and skull. The bone and muscles permit your jaw to move—not just up and down, but left and right, in and out. This kind of complexity is what makes TMJ Syndrome so common, and often so difficult to diagnose.
Modern dentistry has a whole array of TMJ Disorder responses—so your first response should be to make an appointment.
For some people, the answer may be a custom-fitted mouth guard to keep them from teeth grinding in their sleep. There’s even a battery-powered miniature sensing device, worn at night, to alert you when grinding occurs. Another plug-in device helps eliminate spasms and jaw pain by applying moist heat to the source of the pain for several minutes at a time.
If the problem stems from tooth alignment, orthodontic treatment can relieve the stress. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and stress management are all possibilities. The key, as always, is identifying the problem and then finding the response that works best for you.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
