Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

The Temporomandibular (TM) Joint termed to be as the jaw joint, allow all possible movements of the lower jaw.  You have two TM joints which work together as a pair, one in front of each ear. The joints connect the lower jaw bone (the mandible) to the bones of the skull on each side of the head. The muscles controlling the joints are attached to the lower jaw and allow the jaw to move in three directions: up and down, side to side, and forward and back. The synchronized, combined movement of both the joints, and its complex anatomy and biology distinguishes it from the other joints in human body.

What are Temporomandibular joint Disorders (TMD)?
It is a complex set of conditions characterized by pain in the jaw joint, its surrounding tissues, possibility of production of “click sound” while opening of mouth causing limitation in jaw movements. These conditions can lead to various problems if not detected and treated earlier.

Reasons for TMJ disorders:
Owing to the complexity of the jaw joint, there can be multiple reasons a patient develops TMJ disorders. Here are few of the most common causes:

• Improper restoration of a tooth.
• Injuries to the jaw joint area.
• Various forms of arthritis.
• Autoimmune diseases ( condition where body’s immune cells attack healthy tissue).
• Bruxism ( constant grinding or clenching of teeth).
• Other rare genetic or hormonal factors.

• Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to appear in your mouth, occurring normally 17 and 25 years of age, a time of life called the “Age of Wisdom”.
• Anthropologists have noted that the rough diet of early humans resulted in the excessive wearing out of their teeth. The normal drifting of teeth to compensate for this wear and tear ensured that space was available for most wisdom teeth to grow.
• The modern diet that is considerably softer, and some tooth-aligning procedures produce a fuller dental arch, which quite commonly doesn’t leave room for the wisdom teeth, thereby setting the stage for problems when they actually start to grow.  The average jaw is made to hold only 28 teeth and can be painful when 32 teeth try to fit into that space! These four other teeth are your third Molars – the famed “wisdom teeth”.