Jaw Pain? It Could Be TMJ

(CBS)  Temporomandibular joint dysfunction--or TMJ--affects more than 10 million Americans, and 90 percent of them are women.

The joint, which is an essential part of the jaw, is necessary for talking and eating. "It is probably the most-used joint in the body, because every time our lower jaw moves, for any function at all, it is the synchronized movements of the left and right temporomandibular joints," says Dr. Omar Suarez

Suarez, chief of TMJ and oral facial services at the department of rheumatology at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York, appeared on the Saturday Early Show June 3 to talk about TMJ. He says that it can result from trauma or disease.

Symptoms of TMJ include pain in the jaw, neck, face, ear, or temples--anywhere in the area near the jaw. "That whole neighborhood, if you will, is what responds," Suarez says. Noise, like a clicking or popping sound from the jaw joint, and jaw tenderness are other signs. TMJ may also cause limited range of jaw motion.

While Suarez says the area and extent of jaw pain may vary, and may not be TMJ at all. "It's critical that the patient be examined carefully to determine what the source of the pain is."

Treatments for TMJ can vary from a mechanical appliance or splint to medications or physical therapy. Other people may find relief from behavioral modification therapy, especially if their joint pain is caused by a reaction to stress, like grinding teeth.

Suarez suggests that people who play sports use a mouth guard to protect their teeth, to prevent possible TMJ distress.

If you have some early warning signs of any of these symptoms, I would seek some consultation with someone who is trained in TMJ as soon as possible," Suarez says.

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