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Causes of TMJ
***There
are several contributing factors and several ways you can get TMJ disorder.
The jaw joint is the most used joint in your entire body, and one of
the most delicate. From a simple bump to a severe car accident, you can
be the next victim of TMD.***
Trauma:
According to statistics
published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in
1990,* 44% to 99% of TMJ problems are caused by trauma. By trauma, we
mean an injury as obvious as a blow to the jaw with a fist or something
as subtle as a whiplash injury with direct trauma to the head or jaw.
(*JADA 1990;120:267) Thing that are considered trauma are NOT
just car accidents or major injuries. Several things we classify as
trauma include; your child head butting you in the chin, sports
injuries, recreational vehicle accidents, skiing, weight lifting,
running, a fall of any degree, and the list continues but as you can
see there are countless ways this type of injury can occur.
Cervical Acceleration/Deceleration (Whiplash):
Whiplash is one
common cause of TMD and can be caused from a motor vehicle accident or
other such trauma.
Common complaints following a CAD or Whiplash injury may include:
- Neck
pain
- Neck
stiffness (difficulty in turning the head)
- Headaches
(especially, temporal and occipital --where neck attaches to head)
- Back
pain
- TMJ
symptoms (joint pain, limited opening of the mouth, change in
bite, TMJ noises, pain in face and TMJs with mouth opening, ear
pain)
- Dizziness
- Visual
changes (light sensitivity, blurred vision, pain behind the eyes,
etc.)
- Swallowing
difficulties and even hoarseness
Air Bag Deployment
Direct trauma to the
mandible in auto accidents, like indirect trauma in whiplash injuries,
are both known to produce TMJ injuries. Recently, however, the advent
of air bags, which no doubt have saved numerous lives, has been
implicated in causing TMJ problems.
Patients who have been injured with air
bags often have the following symptoms:
- Burned
or abraded skin on the chin, face and even the nose
- Almost
immediate TMJ pain
- Swelling
of the TMJs
- Limited
mouth opening
- Lateral
and cervical neck pain
- Change
in the fit of the teeth coming together
Opening Too Wide:
All joints have limitations to movement and the TMJ
is no exception. If you open wide for a long time, or if your mouth is
forced wide open, ligaments again may be stretched or torn. Swelling
and bruising develop and disc dislocation may occur. For example, if
your mouth is open for a long time at the dental office while having a
root canal, an extraction or a tooth prepared for a crown, the joint
can dislocate. This rarely happens without a prior history of trauma;
however, it does happen. Also, this type of injury may occur if
someone's mouth is opened too wide when they are being put to sleep for
surgery. Again, both of these examples are accidental and consequences
of the given procedures.
Contributing
Factors-
Bruxism:
Bruxism is the abnormal
grinding of the teeth. If grinding continues the TMJ condition will get
worse. Bruxism usually occurs during sleep. That is why so many people
do not realize that they are bruxers. One indication that a person is a
bruxer is sore jaw muscles or headache when waking in the morning. Some
researchers feel that the constant grinding of the teeth causing
pressure on the TMJs may injure the ligaments, thus allowing for the
disc to dislocate. At the very least, bruxism produces muscle pain,
sensitive and worn teeth.
Malocclusion:
Malocclusion is simply a
bad bite. Malocclusion may be produced by poor development of the jaws
or removal of teeth without replacement, a high dental filling, a poor
fitting denture or partial denture, or a displaced TMJ disc.
Orthodontics:
Some feel that orthodontic
treatment, or braces, might be a cause of TMJ. By moving teeth with
orthodontic appliances, malocclusion is produced during treatment.
Also, people undergoing orthodontics do report sensitive teeth, pain in
the jaw muscles and even bruxism. However, as with malocclusion and
bruxism, there has been no scientific controlled study to prove that
orthodontic treatment produces a TMJ problem.
Ligament Laxity:
People who appear to be
double-jointed actually suffer from a problem termed Aligament laxity.
If this occurs, then the joint appears to be double or, loose. This
definitely can happen to the TMJ's. Ligament laxity is a fairly common
problem in active young women who suffer with TMJ (and injuries to
other joints). Laxity of ligaments can be the result of trauma or over
stretching the join.
Stress:
Stress has many effects on
our bodies: some good and some bad. Stress, being both physical and
psychological. Physiological changes can produce muscle tightness and
pain and if you are subjected to chronic stress, these physical changes
may produce harmful effects. For example, people subjected to chronic
stress develop ulcers, diarrhea, tension headaches, muscle tightness
and other physical symptoms. Stress is just like throwing gasoline on
an existing fire: the fire is a TMJ problem and the gasoline is stress.
The gasoline causes the fire to flair up and burn widely for a time,
but the gas did not produce the fire (or, TMJ), it just made it worse.
This is how it appears that stress acts in conjunction with a TMJ
problem. Muscles tighten, teeth clench, abnormal pressure is forced
against the TMJ disc, and if the ligaments are weak or if the patient
is one that has ligament laxity, then the disc may dislocate.
Systemic Diseases:
Various diseases can cause
or aggravate TMJ problems. Immune disorders such as rheumatoid
arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus can
produce inflammation in the TMJ. In addition, viral infections such as
mononucleosis, mumps and measles can cause damage to the surfaces of
the TMJ, which ultimately can lead to an internal derangement.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
Studies show that you are at higher risk if you are overweight,
male, and over the age of forty. Although anyone is at risk and can
suffer from sleep apnea, even children. Lack of knowledge and awareness
in healthcare professionals, the majority go undiagnosed and untreated.
Untreated, sleep apnea can cause diabetes, high blood pressure and
other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency,
fatigue, decreased alertness, and headaches. Fortunately, sleep apnea
can be diagnosed and treated, which is what we do here at The TMJ Sleep Center.
The most common of the three; obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a
blockage of the airway. The soft tissue in the back of the throat
collapses during sleep closing (obstructing) your airway. People with obstructive sleep apnea have an airway
that is more narrow than normal, usually at the base of the tongue and
palate. When lying flat, the palate is above the air passage. When the muscles
relax, the palate can fall backwards. This obstructs the airway.
Causes of Migraine
Headaches
A migraine headache is generally caused in
the blood vessels either restricted or emphasized, and from tension
created in your muscles due to over stimulation. A migraine patient can
generally either feel a headache coming on or knows what triggers them
and when they are going to get one, this is very common.
When treating a migraine with an appliance
you are able to put the appliance in as soon as you are aware of the
onset in order to avoid initially getting one, or by using it as soon
as you have one. NTI appliances are also to be worn at night to avoid
starting each day with a headache and can be worn when you certain
activities bring a headache on in order to again avoid even getting
one.
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