TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDER:

If you experience ongoing pain in the area near your ear, your jaw or the muscles on the side of your face, possibly accompanied by a clicking or popping sound or restricted jaw movement, you may be suffering from TMD — an abbreviation for Temporomandibular disorders. The two TMJ that connect your lower jaw (mandible). TMD is a group of conditions characterized by pain and dysfunction of the TMJ and/or the muscles surrounding it. It's not always easy to figure out exactly what's causing these symptoms, but the good news is that most TMD cases resolve themselves with the help of conservative remedies.

Causes of tmd:

TMJ Joint. As with any other joint, the TMJ can be subject to orthopedic problems including inflammation, sore muscles, strained tendons and ligaments, and disk problems. TMD is also influenced by genes, gender (women appear to be more prone to it), and age. Physical and psychological stress can also be a factor. In some cases, jaw pain may be related to a more widespread, pain-inducing medical condition such as fibromyalgia ("fibro" – connective tissues; "myo" – muscle; "algia" – pain).

Signs and Symptoms of TMD:

Clicking Sounds — some people with TMD hear a clicking, popping or grating sound coming from the TMJ when opening or closing the mouth. This is usually caused by a shifting of the disk inside the joint. Someone standing next to you might even be able to hear it. Clicking by itself is actually not a significant symptom because one third of all people have jaw joints that click, studies show. However, if the clicking is accompanied by pain or limited jaw function — the jaw getting "stuck" in an open or closed position, for example — this would indicate TMD.

ORO-FACIAL PAIN MANAGEMENT

Muscle Pain — this can be felt in the cheeks (masseter muscles) and temples (temporalis muscles), where the two big pairs of jaw-closing muscles are located. If you feel soreness and stiffness upon waking up in the morning, it's often related to habits such as clenching or grinding the teeth at night. If you have this type of night grinding habit (bruxism), a custom-made night guard should be very helpful in decreasing the force applied to your teeth, which will in turn allow your muscles to relax and relieve pressure on your jaw joints.

Joint Pain — Pain that's actually coming from one or both jaw joints technically would be described as arthritis ("arth" – joint; "itis" – inflammation) of the TMJ. Radiographs (x-ray pictures) show that some people have arthritic-looking TMJs but no symptoms of pain or dysfunction; others have significant symptoms of pain and dysfunction but their joints look normal on radiographs. There is no cure for arthritis anywhere in the body, but medication can sometimes help relieve arthritic symptoms.

Relieving the Pain:
Once you have been examined, a strategy for treating your condition and managing your pain can be developed. Sometimes a temporary change to a softer diet can reduce stress on the muscles and joints. Ice and/or moist heat can help relieve soreness and inflammation. Muscles in spasm can also be helped with gentle stretching exercises. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxants can also provide relief.

Other Treatment Options:
Severe TMD cases may require more complex forms of treatment, which might include orthodontics, dental restorations like bridgework, or minor procedures inside the joint such as cortisone injections or lavage (flushing) of the joint. It's rare for major surgery ever to be necessary in a case of TMD. Again, it's important to try the wide range of conservative, reversible treatments available, and give them enough time to work as they almost always prove effective. The first step is an examination at the dental office.

FACIAL NEURALGIAS:

Trigeminal Neuralgia and its Treatment –

The Trigeminal Nerve is located in the face and allows you to feel sensations in the facial region by carrying information back to your brain to process. Trigeminal Neuralgia or Tic Douloureux is characterized by chronic pain that can be aggravated by the mildest sensation to the face. Even just washing your face, stoking the face, eating, talking, smiling, drinking, eating, shaving, putting on make-up or brushing your teeth can trigger excruciating pain along the Trigeminal Nerve.

Trigeminal Neuralgia can start off with occasional mild twinges of pain on one side of the face in the area of the gums, lips, cheek, jaw, teeth eye or forehead. Pain can get progressively worse with more severe pain that occurs more often. Severe pain can feel like an electric shock that can last from a few seconds or longer and become more frequent over time. Episodes of multiple attacks can last days, weeks, months or even longer. It affects women more than men and usually those older than the age of 50.

Diagnosis can be made with a History, Neurological Exam and MRI. MRI is usually done to help to rule out a possible tumor which may be causing the pain. Other causes include Multiple Sclerosis, brain lesions or Trigeminal Neuralgia can be from an unknown cause. Trigeminal Neuralgia Treatment in our office consists MEDICAL and SURGICAL management.

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