Belle Vernon Office: 4313 State Route 51 Unit Rostraver Township, PA 15012
Phone: (724) 430-4924 Fax: (724) 430-4925
TMJ
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT - TMJ
TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint, an important joint formed by your skull and your jawbone, using the muscles needed for you to talk and chew food. This very important joint opens and closes your mouth, acting as a sliding hinge that allows for up and down, as well as side to side movement, for chewing, yawning, singing, etc. As an important joint, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with it, resulting in discomfort, clenching, and teeth grinding. To experience TMJ pain, a disc of cartilage to keep your jaw movement smooth separates the bones of the joint. When the muscles become irritated the joints are displaced. It can also be caused by arthritis or another joint disease. The smoothness is interrupted, causing popping, clicking, muscle tenderness, joint tenderness, as well as the inability for you to open your mouth all the way.
Chronic sufferers experience:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Earaches
- Difficulty hearing
It can also lead to pain that radiates to the face, head, neck, and even shoulders from the severe clenching and grinding of the jaw. TMJ pain may be unavoidable at times; however, through chiropractic care you can keep it under control. Spinal manipulative therapy, soft tissue massage, and exercises have all been shown to reduce TMJ pain and symptoms through chiropractic oversight. Additionally, chiropractic care includes intraoral myofascial release, which is a technique that releases the muscles surrounding the joint, accessing them from the inner side of a person’s cheeks. Chiropractic care focuses on the relationship of the neck, spine, and back as it relates to the structure of the jaw in your skull. Although many assume that the solution to their TMJ can be found within the dental unit, the structuring of the jaw joint has nothing to do with dentistry at all. Patients can have their TMJ aligned and monitored through chiropractic care, ensuring the pressure is being alleviated from your face, head, and teeth.
If you have TMJ, call our office today to schedule a consultation. (724) 430-4924
"We are here for you!"