The temporomandibular joint is located directly in front of our ears and is the joint that is mainly responsible for allowing us to open and close our jaw. And, when this joint becomes out of place or dislocated, it can lead to severe pain and be an overall miserable issue to have to deal with.
The symptoms of TMJ will vary from person to person, however, we’ve narrowed down a list of the 5 most common signs that indicate you have TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder). Let’s dive in with the help of your dentist in Walnut Creek.
Bruxism
There are millions of people who grind their teeth throughout the day and don’t even notice that they are doing it. Many patients who suffer from TMD have reported that they often catch themselves grinding their teeth without even being aware of it.
On top of the problems that this can cause during the waking hours of our day, the problem is even worse when we grind our teeth in our sleep since we’re not even able to catch ourselves in the act and put an end to it. A common sign that you might be grinding your teeth at night is if you often wake up with a headache in the morning.
Frequent Headaches
A headache can be caused by many things and this, of course, includes TMJ disorder. These headaches will typically radiate from your head down into your jaw and can often feel very similar to a tension headache.
Many times, patients believed that they were suffering from migraines for years, before finding out that their headaches were being caused by TMD. However, frequent headaches are not to be taken lightly as there could be a more serious underlying condition causing it. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you experience chronic headaches without any noticeable cause.
Blurred Vision
Typically, this is something that you should have an optometrist look at rather than your dentist. However, if you’re experiencing blurry vision, along with other symptoms related to TMJ, it might be time to bring this up with your dentist to see what they say.
Since the disorder can cause headaches and in turn, headaches can cause blurred vision, it can be difficult to pinpoint an underlying causation for the problem. As you can see, TMJ is a complicated problem that can cause a domino effect of different symptoms. In turn, this makes it difficult to diagnose exactly what is causing your original symptoms.
Clicking or Popping Sounds When You Open Your Mouth
If you’re one of the millions of people who can hear a click or pop when you open your mouth, then you should know that this is not normal and that you should talk to your dentist about it before it leads to any further complications.
Trouble Swallowing or a Frequent Sore Throat
As you’ve learned by now, TMJ is a complex condition and its symptoms will vary from one person to the next. However, in addition to bruxism, blurred vision and headaches, a chronic sore throat is another common complaint from TMJ sufferers.
If you have any more questions about TMD/TMJ, please give your dentist in Walnut Creek a call at (925) 937-9017.
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