mouth and dental disorders
Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs)
Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorders
Symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) include headaches, tenderness of the chewing muscles, and clicking or popping or locking of the joints. Sometimes the pain seems to occur near the joint rather than in it. Temporomandibular disorders may be the reason for recurring headaches that do not respond to usual medical treatment. Other symptoms include pain or stiffness in the neck and shoulders, dizziness, earaches or stuffiness in the ears, and disrupted sleep. People with temporomandibular disorders often have difficulty opening their mouth wide. For example, most people without temporomandibular disorders can place the tips of their index, middle, and ring fingers held together and placed horizontally in the space between the upper and lower front teeth without forcing. For people with temporomandibular disorders (with the exception of those with hypermobility), this space usually is markedly smaller. People with temporomandibular myofascial pain syndrome (previously known as temporomandibular joint [TMJ] syndrome or TMJ dysfunction) may feel pain, fatigue, and tightness on the sides of the face when awakening or after stressful periods during the day. Teeth Grinding while asleep and sleep-disordered breathing, such as Internal joint derangement related to anterior disk displacementwithreduction usually causes a clicking or popping sound in the joint when the mouth opens wide or the jaw shifts from side to side. Other people are sometimes able to hear these sounds. In many people, these joint sounds are the only symptoms. However, some people also have pain, particularly when chewing foods with a tough consistency. In a small percentage of people, these sounds progress to locking of the joints. Internal joint derangement related to anterior disk displacementwithoutreduction does not cause a sound but makes it difficult for people to open their mouth wide. It usually causes pain and a feeling that the joint is out of place. Typically, this type of joint derangement starts suddenly in people whose joint previously clicked all the time (anterior disk displacement with reduction). Sometimes people discover they are not able to fully open their jaw when they wake up. After 6 to 12 months, the pain may decrease, and the limitation on how much the mouth can be opened may resolve. Osteoarthritis (OA) None Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) None Infectious Arthritis None Traumatic arthritiscauses pain and tenderness in the temporomandibular joint, and limitation of jaw movement. Typically, fusion of the ligaments and bone around the joint (extra-articular ankylosis) is not painful, but the mouth can open only about 1 inch (about 2½ centimeters) or less. Fusion of bones within the joint (intra-articular ankylosis) causes pain and more severely limits jaw movement. In a person with hypermobility, the jaw may slip forward completely out of its socket (dislocate), causing pain and an inability to close the mouth. Jaw Dislocation may occur suddenly and repeatedly. 