TMJ
The TMJ is the joint between the temporal bone (skull) and the mandible. Between these two bones there is an articular disc, similar to the meniscus of the knees, that acts as a "cushion" between both surfaces stopping them rubbing and facilitating movement.
Disorders of the temporomandibular joints are pathologies that directly affect the articular surfaces involved, the disc, the muscles that make the mandibular movements and the nerves that are responsible for reaching the musculoskeletal system.
Many of the symptoms that patients experience with TMJ disorders are usually due to stress, malocclusions (the way the upper and lower teeth fit together) or a combination of both, although in some cases symptoms occur without a clear origin.
The most frequent symptoms are: pain (in the area or radiating to the head or ear), noise when opening or closing the mouth and a reduced ability to open the mouth, chronic headache, discomfort when yawning.
The main treatments used for the temporomandibular joint are: night guards, medicinal products, occlusal treatments (modifications to how the teeth fit together) or combinations of all of them.
What can I do to avoid problems?
- Avoid bad postural habitats, while standing, sitting and lying down.
- Avoid the oral bad habitats such as: biting your fingernails, chewing gum, chewing on one side only, tensing or grinding your teeth, badly positioning your tongue when at rest or swallowing, and breathing through your mouth.
- Follow a suitable dental hygiene routine.
- Avoid excessive movement when opening and extending the mandible.
- Visit your dentist periodically.
If you want, you can request the application of sedatives during any of these interventions. The clinic has a team of anaesthetists to carry this out. Conscious sedation is a technique where drugs are administered to the patient (intravenously) to achieve a state of relaxation such that it allows them to collaborate with the odontologist but in such a relaxed state that the patient lives the experience in a comfortable manner.
