22 Sep

Central London dentist and the pain of TMJ

TMJ is the more common name for temporomandibular joint disorders which affect the areas around the jaw, neck and head. Although it must be said that very little is actually known about the specific causes of TMJ, it is known that the main symptom is pain. The symptoms are also very persistent which means that TMJ can be a very stressful and unpleasant experience. It can affect even the simplest of everyday activities such as eating and talking. Because the condition is not widely understood, it means that in many cases a diagnosis will take a long time to reach and may even be given as something else entirely before the real cause of the problem is discovered. As you can imagine, this can be very frustrating for the patients concerned.
It is estimate that as many as one in ten people may be suffering from TMJ of some sort but only a tiny per cent of these will ever receive any treatment. The most obvious signs that you are suffering is a pain around the neck or jaw that won’t go away. It can also cause stiffness of the muscles in the neck and dizziness. In most instances, TMJ will eventually get better on its own but in more serious cases this could only be after many months or even years of agony. Because TMJ affects the jaw, it is very likely that your Central London dentist will be able to help you. They are trained to spot the signs of TMJ and also where possible to offer treatment. This could involve realigning some of the teeth, as it is thought that a misalignment could be responsible for the condition in the first place. Anything that affects the bite (the way the teeth sit together) could be responsible for causing jaw and neck pain.