“How is TMJ diagnosed?”

There is a specialist, gnathologist, which is specialized in TMJ disorders. Some problems can be seen in the big panoramic photo, some felt by palpation, some different tests. I would suggest that the dentist send your mother and the family members to someone specialized.

The newest acronym for what we call "TMJ" is TMJDS, or "Tempero Mandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome." This more correctly identifies the disorder as a feature of not just the jaw but the muscles and nerves adjoining it. It is said that over 85% of "TMJ" is muscular dysfunction and I have found that to be clinically correct. If the dysfunction occurs early in life then the joint can indeed be slowly damaged. Joint damage is diagnosed with 3D Tomography nowadays and Nuclear medicine. Muscle diagnosis can be confirmed and treated by needling or injectables such as lidocaine or Botox.

Symptoms are present and sometimes include, but are not limited to, waking up with a headache in the morning, cold sensitivity to your teeth, suddenly broken teeth that may otherwise be free from decay or restorations. With awareness of clinching, some signs include wear of natural teeth, deep grooves on the outside of the teeth right at the gum line, tori. The dentist can diagnose it by examination to your TMJ and mouth general.

By clinical exam and radiographs and MRI.

TMJ has many symptoms and although can be treated by your family dentist it is probably first diagnosed with an orthodontic consult and an evaluation of your bite or collusion. Sometimes TMJ can be controlled with neuromuscular AIDS such as a bite plate or night guard, judicious occlusal adjustment of the teeth themselves to allow your bike to share the load more efficiently intruding and eliminate inconsistencies in the occlusal positioning of the teeth in other words how they mesh. Also an evaluation needs to be done for loss of teeth which facilitates drifting your migration of teeth next to spices where extractions have been performed many years prior allowing the shifting to occur. This sets up clicking and popping in the jaw joint and is similar to a loose shock absorber in a vehicle making a knock or problems in absorbing bumps as there as much stress to the jaw apparatus during chewing. So the diagnosis includes a muscular component as well as a functional assessment not to mention an x-ray observation and sometimes diagnostic tests are used to better show the idiosyncrasies involved in treatment of this very strategically difficult set of symptoms

TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint, which is the joint that connects your lower jaw to your upper jaw. When this joint becomes painful (either at a pinpoint position right above the ear or it can also refer pain to the head, lower law, neck, shoulder, arm..) it is called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMD. TMD is diagnosed with the associated pain just listed, often accompanied by sounds (crackling, crunching, clicking). This is often a manifestation of overuse (clenching, grinding, think of today's high stress), or trauma. Like other joints (i.e. your mom's bad knees), genetics can play a role as well.

TMJ is the jaw joint. Download a free consumer guide on my landing page at my web site www.theTMJsleepcenter.com Unfortunately there is a great deal of misinformation available on the web causing further frustration. I have successfully treated more than 5,000 patients suffering with a TMJ disorder. The temporomandibular Joint is the jaw joints immediately in front of your ear. TMJ is its name of the jaw joint. TMJ is not the diagnosis. just as knee or shoulder is not the diagnosis for a knee or shoulder disorder. Unfortunately "TMJ" is commonly the over simplified diagnosis and the treatment is under stated with laughable treatment suggestions when critically analyzed make little sense.
Seldom is the pain or symptoms in the jaw joint itself. The condition has been called The "The Great Imposter" because the symptoms lead one away from the cause rather than pointing directly at the jaw joint condition itself. Commonly my patients have been to see their ear doctor, the eye doctor the headache doctor, and maybe even to their dentist. Few dentists will provide meaningful information and may lead one away from the jaw joint being the cause of their pain and frustratiion. The symptoms usually involve the jaw muscles in the face (masseter) and the side of the head (temporalis) causing pain or aching. The symptoms can include facial pain, ear pain ringing dizziness, ear pressure, eye pain, headaches, reduced ability to move the jaw, increased and lasting pain when holding the mouth open for a dental appointment, jaw fatigue when chewing or a long day of talking, and many other symptoms. Very few patients have all of the symptoms; although, all will have several of the symptoms. The TMJ condition is usually the result of an injury often occurring many years earlier. Very surprisingly the symptoms seldom occur soon after the injury. I have a cat scan in my office and acquire images of the jaw joints and take a detailed history followed by an extensive hands on examination. The ability of the jaw to move properly is of great value to me in making a diagnosis and determine the appropriate treatment. The normal jaw opening should be 45-50mm and the ability to slide to the side should easily be 12-15mm each direction. Wearing a night guard is rarely the appropriate solution and unfortunately is by fat the most common prescribed treatment.