TMJ is your jaw joint. TMD is a disorder of those jaw joints. “TMD” stands for “temporomandibular disorder”, and is often referred to as “TMJ”, an abbreviation for “temporomandibular joint”. TMD or TMJ refers to problems related to pain and improper functioning of:

• Your jaw joints (which are among the most complex joints in the human body)
• Muscles, bones, ligaments and/or cartilage surrounding your jaw joints
• Associated structures in your face, head, neck, and upper back

TMD is a medical problem. It can arise due to problems with your bite, muscle strain or imbalances, or damage to tissues in the head, neck and facial area. Displacement of the disk in your TMJ can be a permanent condition which may be controlled with proper care.

TMD is often a chronic and frequently degenerative disease. That is why it is important for anyone who is experiencing symptoms – headaches, earaches, dizziness, eye pain, blurred vision, excessive tears without crying and clicking or popping in the jaw joints – to schedule an appointment for a consultation with a qualified dental professional. Seeing your regular dentist may not be sufficient, since all dentists do not have the appropriate training or expertise. This is also true of medical professionals who, like many dentists, frequently refer patients to us in order to rule out (or rule in) a TMD problem when making a differential diagnosis.

The sooner TMD is accurately diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. TMJ dysfunction is a condition which can have a progressive nature; left untreated, patients may experience unfavorable changes that can result in irreversible damage to the structure of the jaw joint.  Although there is no “cure” for TMD, many patients experience relief of their symptoms shortly after beginning treatment. In addition, more than 95% of all patients can be treated successfully and without surgery of any kind!