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Does your head hurt often? Do you hear a click or a noise of sand when you open and close your mouth? Does your jaw lock or shift sometimes? Do you hear a buzz often? Do you feel ear pain or around it? If you said “yes” to more than one of these questions, stay tuned: you may have temporomandibular disorders, or simply TMD. But don't despair. A dental surgeon can help.
In order for you to better understand TMD, we first need to explain what TMJ is, the temporomandibular joint. One of the most complex joints in the human body, it is responsible for connecting the mandible to the temporal bone of the skull, which is in front of the ears, on the sides of the head. Because it is flexible, this joint allows you to move the jaw forward, backward and sideways. More than that, it allows you to talk and chew.
The chewing muscles are responsible for controlling the position and movement of the jaw. When a problem prevents this system from working properly, we have TMD.
The dysfunction affects thousands of people, of any age, sex or race, although it mainly affects women in adulthood. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), headache affects more than 80% of women of childbearing age, against 65% of men. Is it just a coincidence? It is not what it seems: for every four women, only one man is affected by TMD.
One of the most frequent complaints in this context is pain, which can manifest itself on the face, ear, bottom of the eyes, head or neck. Cracking in the jaw joint, a feeling of plugging in the ear and even dizziness can occur as well.
TMD is a multifactorial problem. Accidents, falls in which the jaw or face were injured, stress, muscle tension and even posture can influence its development. In addition, there are other conditions that contribute to the disorder, such as genetic predisposition, habits such as biting nails or chewing gum constantly and bruxism (when a person grits his teeth while sleeping).
It is important to note that TMD can also happen due to systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, among others. For this reason, facial pain in general, but especially frequent pain, deserves extra attention and a visit to a specialist so that other ailments can be ruled out.