Signs and symptoms of TMJ disorder vary and can be very complex to identify. Often the symptoms will involve more than one of the numerous TMJ components: muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, bones & connective tissue.

People with TMJ problems generally experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Chronic recurring headaches
• Clicking, popping or grating sound in the jaw joints
• Earaches, congestion or ringing ears
• Limited jaw opening or locking
• Dizziness
• Pain when chewing
• Neck and/or throat pain
• Difficulty in closing the teeth together
• Tired, tight jaws
• Pain behind the eyes
• Scalp tenderness
• Swallowing difficulty
• Pain in the tongue, gums or cheek muscles
• Teeth grinding or clenching

A displaced disk may produce clicking or popping sounds, limit jaw The disk can also develop a hole or perforation, which can produce a grating sound with joint movement cause pain when opening and closing the mouth.

Jaw, face and/or neck pain are common indicators of acute or chronic inflammation of the TMJ. This can cause significant pain around the TM joint itself but the discomfort can also spread and surface in places outside the TMJ area.

Finding the right dental physician to identify the root cause of the pain can be difficult as the TMJ transcends the boundaries between several health-care disciplines. It is important to find a doctor who is not only a licensed dentist but who also has advanced education and training in these conditions.

Contact one of our TMJ Centers.