It is no secret that the human skeleton is a complex bone system with about 360 joints. One of them — the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) — receives special attention from dental surgeons, as it is highly prone to various pathologies and leads to frequent visits. The most common problem is temporomandibular joint dysfunction: arthrosis, arthritis and subluxation of the lower jaw.
In medical practice there are diagnoses such as “myofascial syndrome” and “Costen’s syndrome”, which often cause discomfort, soreness of the chewing muscles, severe ear pain and persistent headaches. Sometimes there is impaired vision and hearing, and depressive disorder.
Making a diagnosis
Only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis. Because of the features of the temporomandibular joint, diagnosing its disorders is complicated. The joints have no nerve endings, so pain manifests in the ears, teeth, muscles and so on. The TMJ can strongly strain the muscles of the lower jaw and click during chewing, which indicates, in particular, a displaced disc.
That is why a diagnosis is made using radiography, an orthopantomogram, computed tomography, MRI or arthroscopy, when arthritis and arthrosis are suspected.
Treatment and preventive measures
In TMJ dysfunction, timely diagnosis and qualified medical help from specialists — primarily dentists — play a major role.
Often, with these symptoms, people turn to ENT doctors and osteopaths and go down the wrong treatment path. In this case, a dentist consultation is necessary. In dental practice, when a diagnosis of “TMJ dysfunction” is made, the work is aimed at eliminating the main cause — the disturbed position of the joint. A consultation with an orthodontist is held and prosthetics are carried out. To relieve muscle pain, wearing a joint splint is prescribed. The main task is not to lose time and to prevent arthrosis.
To prevent dysfunction, it is necessary to treat teeth, carry out prosthetics and correct the bite in good time.
