TMJ Help Site

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Oakton TMJ Dentist – Dr. HR Makarita is a dentist specializing in the treatment and relief of TMJ disorder and related symptoms. Patietns suffering from migraine headaches, jaw popping or clicking, teeth clenching/grinding and head + neck pain are encouraged to seek treatment. The office is located in Oakton Virginia.

Ever noticed that familiar scene at the movies when the camera goes in for a close-up on the gangster’s face during a tense moment in the film and you can see him clenching and his jaw muscles throbbing?
I always think…bet he has headaches!
You many not know that the action of biting down on your teeth (other than chewing and swallowing) is called “clenching”, “bruxing”, or “grinding your teeth” and can cause TMJ problems and headaches. A high percentage of the headache sufferers I saw in my practice were also ‘clenchers’ but most were not even aware they had the habit. You may know you grind your teeth if your partner wakes you up when they hear you grind your teeth at night, you experience jaw pain and/or headaches, or your dentist has pointed out that you have cracked teeth or excessive tooth wear. But what can you do besides wearing a splint that only protects your teeth but does nothing to stop the habit?
One of the most common side effects of clenching is chronic headaches, but since most headache sufferers don’t think they clench and doctors don’t make an evaluation, the connection is never made. Or even more interesting, I never had a client be told to stop clenching first before drastic measures like surgery are tried. Even misaligned bites can correct themselves once the clenching has stopped and the muscles are allowed to relax back to normal.
In my practice, clenching was the number one trigger of tension and migraine headaches. I will say it again. In my practice, clenching was the number one trigger of tension and migraine headaches.
Hard to believe?
People were sent to my office on the verge of jaw surgery, people who have been prescribed splints to protect their teeth and they kept ‘chewing’ them up, people with chronic headaches who ’swore’ they didn’t clench and the treatment for all of them as to ’stop the habit of clenching’.
Sounds simple?
It is, but for many it is a major undertaking. Not because it is a hard thing to do…but because habits are for the most part unconscious and for that reason hard to break.
Dentists prescribe splint therapy, but if you do not stop the habit of clenching, a splint is only a partial solution. If you have surgery on your TMJ joint, and you still have a habit of clenching, the results are often unsatisfactory. Medications can help with the pain but if you don’t break the habit of clenching, you can undo any benefit from surgery.
If you still don’t think you clench, use this definition: If your upper and lower teeth touch at any time EXCEPT when you are chewing or swallowing that is the sign that you are a clencher.
How do you know when you are clenching and what do you do?
You pay attention. You check the position of you teeth every chance you get. If you find them touching put some space between your teeth. At first when you start to check, it can be frustrating because you will find your teeth are touching every time you check. Some of you will find that you clench only during certain times. Like when you are trying to figure something out on the computer, or when you are talking to a difficult relative on the phone, or when you teenager has missed a curfew.
What if you only clench at night? How can you stop a habit when you are asleep? First you must stop clenching during the day. Then once the new habit of “not clenching” is in place, it will feel strange to clench. Then at night before you go to sleep you relax your jaw, remind yourself not to clench and then check anytime your awake enough to do it.
This habit of clenching is one of the reasons that medications, splints, massage, and other alternative treatments fail. Because if the habit persists, all the good these other modalities offer is countered by the continued habit of clenching.
Here are some clues to look for if you think you don’t think you are clenching but have headaches.
1) You sometimes wake up with sore teeth or jaw muscles
2) When you relax your jaw and let you chin drop, it feels more uncomfortable than when your mouth is shut.
3) You can’t open your mouth as wide as you should be able to.
4) You chew gum everyday.
5) Just touching your teeth together without biting down is enough pressure to be a problem.

The temporomandibular joint (or TMJ) is a ball and socket joint. This joint is located on both sides of your face and it is what controls the way your jaw moves. When you chew or move your lower jaw from side to side the TMJ is what keeps your jaw moving correctly. Temporomandibular joint disorders are very common and it is thought that between five and fifteen percent of the population suffers from problems with it at least once in their lifetimes. Because problems with the TMJ are so common it is important that you are able to recognize the warning signs of TMJ disorders so that they can be treated correctly and before they become severe.

One of the major symptoms of disorders of the temporomandibular joint is tenderness in the jaw area. The tenderness can be both localized to the joint itself or it could radiate up around your ears. It probably gets worse when you chew. In severe cases, there could be pain whether or not you are chewing. Sometimes TMJ disorders can cause headaches or even an uneven bite.

If your jaw isn’t aligned your teeth might not connect properly when you are chewing. Sometimes people with TMJ experience “jaw lock” which makes it hard for them to close and open their mouths. Sufferers also have to deal with a clicking sound when they talk or chew. Of course, not all clicking in the jaw is a sign of temporomandibular joint disorders.

If you start noticing signs of a TMJ disorder or experiencing symptoms of one, you should schedule an appointment with your regular physician and your dentist. Both will have experience in dealing with the jaw and will know how to address the signs and symptoms you are experiencing. Most of these disorders don’t need complicated, uncomfortable or expensive treatments. Believe it or not, most disorders of your temporomandibular joint are a result of stress!

Stress can cause people to clench their jaws or have nervous habits like chewing on pencils or pens. It can also cause people to grind their teeth while they are sleeping. Typically your doctor or dentist will be able to teach you other methods to cope with stress that will, hopefully, keep you from those nervous habits that put stress on your jaw. And hopefully when you’ve learned to cope with the stress your jaw will heal.

Unfortunately, there are some TMJ disorders that are severe and other corrective measures are encouraged in order to correct the problems. While surgery is not usually needed, some dental correction might be needed. If you have noticed that it is causing your teeth to shift and cause problems with your bite alignment, you might need some orthodontics or even an implant.

TMJ refers to the tempromandibular joints, which are the joints of the jaw that connect the lower jaw bone (mandible) to the skull. These joints allow us to open and close our mouths, chew our food, and speak to one another (or ourselves). A TMJ disorder is any condition which interferes with these actions. Teeth grinding, teeth and jaw clenching, and locked jaw are some examples of conditions which relate to TMJ disorders.

TMJ disorders are sometimes difficult to diagnose, as there are many different causes for these conditions. TMJ disorders are most commonly caused by muscle tension in the jaw, perhaps due to increased stress and anxiety, jaw clenching, teeth grinding, or excessive chewing. Some other habits may be linked to TMJ disorders, such as consistently sleeping on one side of the jaw, chewing a lot of gum, or overextension of the jaw.

Other causes of TMJ disorders may be misaligned jaw joints or teeth, either due to structural problems with the jaw or teeth (such as a birth defect or scar tissue), or due to an injury to the jaw or surrounding areas. Other conditions such as arthritis may also lead to TMJ disorders.

If left untreated, these disorders can lead to headaches, earaches, joint and muscle pain (especially in the face, neck, and shoulders), loss of sleep, locked jaw, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, a clicking sound in the jaw, and/or limited movement of the head and neck.

Many people experience some of these problems and, most of the time, minor problems with the TMJ will correct themselves over time. They may reappear down the road, but the condition will not normally get any worse. However, some people suffer chronically from TMJ disorders, and must receive some type of treatment to deal with the pain and discomfort they may experience.

One of the best treatment options for teeth grinding, clenching, and other TMJ disorders are the use of dental mouth guards or splints. These custom-made guards are provided by your dentist and are used to relieve tension on the jaw during sleep. They help prevent teeth grinding and, if used regularly, can help curtail these nocturnal habits. Two common types of these guards are full upper mouth guards, which fit over all of the upper teeth, or NTIs, which are worn around only the top front teeth and have a high success rate stopping clenching.

Other methods to help treat TMJ disorders are available, and the best method really depends on the exact cause/s of the disorder. If high stress or anxiety levels are to blame, then stress management techniques may be the best line of defense. If the problem is due to structural problems with the teeth or jaw, then dental adjustments may bring these problems to an end. No matter what the cause, applying soothing heat to the area is often helpful, as well. Consult your dentist to find out what steps can be taken to help treat any TMJ disorders you may be suffering from.

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When people talk about things that are discussed a lot or about conditions and situations that involve words that are hard to pronounce, they usually use initials as a stand-in for the real words. This is especially common when it comes to talking about diseases or medical conditions. One example of this is when people talk about the temporomandibular joint. Rather than saying the whole word every time they talk about it, they usually just say “TMJ.”

What is TMJ? What problems does a person face when they suffer from TMJ?

The temporomandibular joint is a ball and socket joint. It is located on both sides of your face and it is responsible for moving your jaw. Whenever you open or close your mouth (or move your lower jaw in a side-to-side), you are using the TMJ. Both parts of the joint (the ball and the socket) are cartilage-covered and are separated by a small sized disk. This disk is there to absorb a small amount of the shock that comes from using your TMJ and it helps with the joint’s free form movement.

Usually the TMJ will work without you having to worry much about it. Every once in a while, however, some people encounter severe problems when the joint fails to work correctly. Between five and fifteen percent of the population has problems with their TMJ at least once in his or her life. While a lot of the problems that most people experience aren’t severe, there are some people who have to deal with extreme problems when the TMJ fails to work correctly.

One of the most prolific problems with the temporomandibular joint is a clicking sound. While this isn’t considered severe or even classified as a real disorder it happens because the termporomandibular joint isn’t working correctly. Other intense problems that happen with TMJ are jaws that are not aligned correctly or an overly worked joint that has been worn down because its owner has been grinding his or her teeth or has a habit of chewing on pens or pencils. Problems with the TMJ can also cause uneven bites. Uneven bites can induce intense headaches or jaw aches with pain that radiates up into the ear area. These problems make eating incredibly uncomfortable and your jaw might hurt even when it is still.

If you are having problems with your TMJ, your dentist or physician can probably help you treat your problems. Often your dentist will refer you to an orthodontist because many of the problems associated with TMJ result from teeth that don’t line up correctly or inappropriate biting or clenching habits. While some problems are small and can be dealt with simply and matter of factly, other problems are more severe and will require extended dental and medical treatments.