TMJ Symptoms
Although temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) originates in your jaw, its symptoms can be far-reaching. You might not think that your upper back pain and tingling or numbness in your hands and arms is related to your headaches and ringing in your ears, but neuromuscular dentistry has revealed the connection between your jaw muscles and many other systems. If you understand the cause-and-effect relationship or TMJ and its symptoms, you will see how TMJ treatment can improve your quality of life.
Although this page gives a basic primer on TMJ symptoms, there is no substitute for a consultation to learn whether your symptoms may be due to TMJ. Please call or email Dr. Mike Deldar or Dr. Sohaila Deldar today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Your Body's Keystone
To see a lengthy list of TMJ symptoms, please view our TMD/TMJ page. Some symptoms are more obvious, such as tooth and jaw pain. This page focuses on a few of the less obvious symptoms and how they are caused by jaw joint misalignment.
Your skull sits balanced at the top of your spine, and your spine is the keystone in all your body's structures. As your spine goes, so does the rest of your body. Keeping your head and spine straight depends on the constant action of muscles, muscles that work together and depend on one another. At the top of your spine, many of these muscles also work together and depend on the muscles in your jaw. Neuromuscular dentistry reveals that when your jaw muscles are imbalanced, it can put stress on other muscles in your neck and lead to stress in the spine and pinched nerves, which can contribute to the wide range of symptoms you experience when your temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) is out of alignment, a condition called temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ.
TMJ and Headaches
Headaches are one of the most common medical complaints and one of the most common TMJ symptoms. Tightness in the jaw can cause or contribute to tension headaches, migraine headaches, or neuralgias (facial pain). By putting pressure on nerves and blood vessels, jaw muscles can initiate the neurochemical triggers that set off tension headaches and migraines, making these headaches more frequent, longer, and more painful. If you suffer from any form of chronic headaches, TMJ Treatment can be an important part of getting relief from your pain.
TMJ and Tinnitus
Although the causes of tinnitus are not clearly understood, some of the 12 million Americans who seek a doctor's help with tinnitus every year may see relief through TMJ treatment. Two muscles in your inner ear tense and relax in combination with your jaw muscles. One helps regulate pressure in your ear, while the other is responsible for steadying your eardrum, and it is this muscle that some say is responsible for TMJ-related tinnitus, although others point to possible pressure on the nerves and eardrum related to stressed and overdeveloped jaw muscles.
TMJ and Numbness or Tingling in the Arms and Hands
The nerves that send signals to and from your arms exit the spinal column at the base of the neck and weave between the scalene muscles in your shoulders to reach your arms.
If your jaw joint is rolled up on one side, your jaw muscles pull on other muscles, and the body ultimately ends up compensating by tilting your collarbone the other direction. This leads to tension and spasms in the scalene muscles. The tension and spasms in your scalene muscles can put pressure on the nerves leading to your arms, resulting in numbness and tingling.
Learn about TMJ Treatment
Because TMJ's symptoms can be so various and widespread, TMJ treatment can have similarly widespread and various benefits. To learn whether TMJ treatment can help you, please schedule a free consultation with Indianapolis neuromuscular dentist Dr. Mike Deldar or Dr. Sohaila Deldar today.
Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry & TMJ
(800) 499-2141
14753 Hazel Dell Crossing Ste. 700 | Noblesville, IN 46062
(at the corner of 146th and Hazel Dell)
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