13 Signs That You Have TMJ

One of the most common causes of facial and jaw pain is a dysfunctional TMJ (temporomandibular joint), the hinge-like joint connecting the upper and lower jaw.

As you try to get to the root of the jaw pain to make it disappear, TMJ is probably at the top of the list of culprits. The good news is that there are some clear signs that you have a TMJ disorder.

We’ve put together a comprehensive blog full of TMJ information — including 13 signs of TMJ — that can help you take steps to eliminate your jaw pain.

How to Tell if You Have TMJ (13 Signs and Symptoms)

TMJ refers to a type of temporomandibular disorder (or TMD) that causes pain in the joint and the muscles controlling jaw movement. We have two temporomandibular joints connecting our skull and lower jaw or mandible. These joints sit in front of the ear, permitting jaw movement.

Although they’re tiny, the joints are mighty and complicated. With their help, the mandible moves forward, backward, side to side, and up and down. 

However, these movements are only smooth and fluid when the joints and mandible are correctly aligned. Any inflammation or trauma to the joint can cause misalignment, which results in a TMD.

Understanding TMDs

The category of TMDs includes over 30 different types of joint, jaw muscle, and nerve problems. The type of TMD depends on the area with the problem. 

Overall, TMDs are broken down into three main categories:

• Pain in the fascia (the connective tissue that covers the muscles), called myofascial pain, can lead to problems in the neck, shoulder, and jaw muscles.
• Joint derangement or a dislocation of the jaw or displaced disk (cartilage that cushions the jaw bone and skull). This internal derangement usually stems from an injury to the end of the jaw bone, called the condyle.
• Degenerative joint disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, of the jaw joint

Myofascial TMDs are the most common, but you can have more than one type, which makes it a challenge to narrow down the cause of your pain. Regardless of which kind of TMD you have, some common symptoms become telltale signs of a TMJ issue.

13 Common Signs You May Have a TMD

When your jaw first starts hurting, it’s easy to misdiagnose yourself. Is it a toothache? A cavity? Neck pain? An earache?

TMDs have symptoms that look very similar to all of those problems. The difference is that a TMJ issue won’t resolve on its own, and it often has many signs along with the jaw pain, such as:

1. Headaches, primarily upon waking up  in the morning, potentially as severe as migraines
2. Earaches not attributed to an infection
3. Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
4. Jaw popping or clicking
5. Pain in the face, neck, shoulders, or back
6. Limited range of motion in the jaw
7. Teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism)
8. Vertigo/dizziness
9. Teeth sensitivity with no dental cause
10. Bite changes (how the top and bottom teeth fit together)
11. Tingling or numbness in the fingers
12. Chronic fatigue
13. Trouble sleeping

By themselves, these symptoms could be from one of many medical conditions. But cumulatively, if you have more than one of these signs, you may have a TMJ disorder.

Why is TMJ Something to Worry About?

Mild cases of TMDs can go away on their own. These are often due to overuse of the jaw, possibly from too much gum chewing, talking, or teeth grinding. 

Giving the joint a chance to rest (or investing in a night guard like those at JS Dental Lab) can reduce the damage of clenching or overused muscles and eliminate your symptoms.

However, if the side effects continue, seeing your doctor for an official diagnosis is crucial.

Your TMJ might seem like a small thing, but it’s actually a highly intricate body part that moves your jawbone using a system of muscles, ligaments, bones, and discs.

When something happens to any of those interconnected pieces, the pain can be instantaneous and anywhere from mild to severe.

The Consequences of Ignoring TMJ Problems

Your jaw is popping, but it’s only irritating. Your facial pain is annoying, but you can ignore it. Those mild signs and symptoms are warning you that there’s a problem. If you listen to them while they’re still whispering, you can fix them before the issue becomes severe.

Otherwise, untreated TMJ problems can lead to serious consequences, such as:

• Chronic jaw pain that reduces your ability to chew, talk, swallow, yawn, and even smile
• Increased anxiety and depression and decreased quality of life as you try to avoid any behaviors or activities that cause pain
• Sleep disorders like insomnia and chronic fatigue caused by jaw stiffness that leads to bruxism or obstructive sleep apnea
• Chronic tinnitus and earaches that cause dizziness, vertigo, trouble sleeping, and concentration issues

Because our body’s systems are so intricately connected, when your TMJ is out of alignment, it can also disturb your digestion. These issues affect the whole body, leading to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline.

What To Do if You Think You Have TMJ

In many cases, TMJ pain is temporary and will go away on its own with a bit of rest and TLC. But if it’s been longer than a couple of weeks and yours isn’t improving, it’s time to start actively working on a solution.

Start by scheduling an appointment with your doctor or dentist for an official diagnosis. Your symptoms may be TMJ-related, but they could have an underlying cause that needs treatment, or they may be due to something completely different.

At-Home Care for TMJ

Making an appointment for specialist treatment is the first vital step in your care plan. In the meantime, try these at-home treatments for symptom avoidance and reduction:

• Avoid chewing gum and other hard or sticky items that cause your jaw to work extra hard.
• Use ice or hot packs against the painful facial muscles.
• Give your jaw long periods of rest. This help can be easily given at night when you use a customized night guard to keep your jaw from clenching while you sleep.
• Learn relaxation techniques to reduce stress and lower your cortisol levels, which can lead to jaw clenching.
• Massage your jaw along the mandible and under the ear to release the pressure and trigger point discomfort.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can be helpful for pain that won’t go away. However, talk to your doctor to ensure these are safe to take with any health condition you have or your medications.

These simple tips won’t fix most TMJ conditions, but they’ll help you get through the pain until you see your doctor.

Non-Surgical TMJ Treatments

Your doctor's recommendations for treatments will likely start with the basics, such as posture training, jaw massage and exercise, and suggestions on how to train your teeth to return to their natural resting position. If your pain isn’t responding to over-the-counter meds, they could prescribe muscle relaxant medicines or antidepressants to soothe your overworked muscles.

From there, you may receive a prescription for physical therapy, where you’ll learn these steps thoroughly. The therapist will also teach you behavior avoidance techniques to prevent accidentally increasing the TMJ pain.

If the pain doesn’t go away with these conservative care steps, a referral to a TMJ specialist is usually next. Depending on the severity of your situation, the specialist could suggest one or more of the following treatments:

• Muscle relaxant injections like Botox
• TMJ splints
• Trigger point injections
• Laser therapy
• Stronger prescription medication for nerve pain
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

In rare but severe cases, surgery can help relieve TMJ pain. Work with your TMJ specialist to develop a treatment plan that works for your health and TMD.

What Causes TMJ, Anyway?

You’ve reviewed the signs and are confident TMJ is the culprit causing your pain. But now that you know what you’re dealing with and the potential treatment options, you’re wondering what caused the problem in the first place.

Identifying the cause of a TMJ disorder is often tricky because there are so many varieties. 

Risk Factors for TMJ

In some cases, the reason for a person’s TMJ is never discovered; the specialist treats the symptoms, but the cause of the issue remains a mystery. 

However, some common risk factors increase the chances of developing a TMD.

If you’ve had a facial or jaw injury, it can irritate the TMJ and damage the joint, straining the muscles connected to it. The connection between TMDs and facial injury is obvious, but other risk factors are less blatant.

Consider these common causes of TMJ as you try to find answers for your situation:

• Bruxism (clenching and grinding teeth), a chronic habit that puts pressure on the joint and increases the symptoms of TMDs
• A family history of TMJ disorders (genetic predispositions)
• Arthritis, particularly rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, as it spreads and damages the TMJ
• Hormonal changes, including pregnancy and menopause, which relax the jaw joint ligaments
• Postural slumping or slouching, pushing the head forward and causing the bite to become misaligned
• Bite misalignment that strains the jaw and adds unnecessary wear and tear on the teeth
• Poor oral health, leading to eroded enamel, gum weakness, and other dental issues

Chronic pain — whether lower back, neck, migraines, or other ongoing discomfort — increases the risk of TMJ disorder development. Other chronic conditions, like fibromyalgia and obstructive sleep apnea, also contribute to the risk of TMDs.

Do any of these factors sound familiar to you?

If so, they might be part of the reason for your symptoms. Remember that some people never know why they’ve developed a TMD, and that’s okay. Whether you know what’s causing your problem or not, the treatment for symptoms of TMJ disorders remains the same.

Conclusion

Are you hearing clicking sounds in your jaw or waking up to ongoing headaches? Is eating your favorite treats painful? Would you rather avoid going out so you don’t have to make conversation and move your jaw or deal with ear pain?

Rather than changing your life completely, it may be time to get help for that TMJ dysfunction. From dentistry solutions to custom mouthguards, there’s a treatment for your symptoms. Try some of our at-home suggestions as you navigate the journey to TMD healing today.

Contact our professionals at JS Dental Lab to see how we can help reduce the strain on your jaw muscles.