Have you ever experienced pain in your jaws or locking and popping? Is the pain unbearable and affecting your daily routine? Do you find difficulty in opening mouth or while chewing? According to Dentist in Houston, all these signs that you may be experiencing can be of TMJ disorder. But what exactly is TMJ disorder and why does it happen.
Here’s a Look at All that You Must Know about TMJ:
What is TMJ?
According to Dentist near Houston TX, TMJ is the joint which connects our jaw bone with the rest of our skull. It stands for temporomandibular joint. We may not even notice the jaw bone or think about it but is one of the major joints of our body. It’s the joint which enables us to eat, chew, talk, and use the jaw’s full range of motion. When the joint works properly, we don’t even notice its presence but the issue arises when it stops working properly and it is a sign of TMJ.
What Are the Symptoms of TMJ?
According to Dentist in Houston, when there is an issue with your TMJ, the first noticeable sign is the pain and stiffness in the jaw and mouth areas. The pain is most likely to be a dull ache. You may also find difficulty in moving your jaw. If you are not able to open your mouth all way, or it feels painful when attempting to open the mouth, along with popping or locking of the jaw, these are all signs of TMJ and you need immediate treatment.
How Do I Treat?
Sometimes, tension in the jaw can be treated the way you would treat tension anywhere else in the body i.e. by gentle muscle relaxing or taking aspirin, using muscle relaxers, or alternating ice and hot compresses. These can all help in easing the symptoms of TMJ. If you don’t find any relief with these remedies, it is time to consult a dentist near you. He will diagnose the underlying condition and come up with the right treatment for TMJ disorder.