Although jaw joint disorders are a very common problem, it is a little known issue in our country. Problems in the jaw joint can cause pain around the face, temple, and radiating from the cheeks to the neck. Headaches that can be very severe may occur over time. Patients often consult ear, nose and throat specialists, especially because of pain behind the ear and eye. However, the real problem may be caused by the jaw joint.
The majority of patients complain that they feel clicking sounds even when opening or closing their mouth or performing daily movements such as yawning, talking, eating, chewing gum. In such cases, it may be thought that the jaw joint is out of alignment. In advanced cases, pain may be felt while chewing and opening the mouth. In fact, problems such as the mouth not being able to open or closing after opening (jaw locking) can be observed.
The jaw joint is just in front of the ears and is the organ that connects the lower jaw to the skull. In addition to teeth, the jaw joint and jaw muscles are among the tissues and organs treated by dentists. There is a separate specialty in dentistry for the treatment of the jaw joint. As a physician, my advice to you is to consult a specialist physician for joint complaints.
The main causes of jaw joint disorders are teeth clenching and grinding. In addition, a sudden severe blow to the face, such as a traffic accident or sports injury, or keeping the mouth open for a long time as a result of long-term dental treatments can also cause pain in the jaw joint. At the same time, it may create a tendency for the joint to deteriorate due to psychological reasons and systemic diseases. In addition; Abnormal behaviors such as biting lips, chewing gum excessively, biting nails may affect the emergence of jaw joint disorders.
In jaw joint disorders, treatment is carried out with personalized occlusal splints. Occlusal splints are appliances that cover the tooth surfaces like a sheath that can be installed and removed whenever desired, prepared without any operation on the teeth. In some cases, medication and/or physical therapy may be used in addition to splint treatment. can also be recommended. The most important thing is that the person is aware that he or she may have jaw joint disease and should consider consulting a specialist dentist when he/she notices complaints.
I wish everyone a healthy day.
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