Yes, over time, TMJ disorder can alter the shape of your face. Facial symmetry can be lost, your teeth may change the way they meet together in your mouth, and over-activity in the masseter muscle can cause the jaw to appear swollen and square.
TMJ issues can cause facial asymmetry with or without pain. Most often these issues for uneven jaws can be treated non-surgically. However, many orthodontist and Oral Surgeons may tell you the only way to fix this is to do orthognathic surgery.
Uneven Face Height Due to Bone Irregularity
It's common for TMJ sufferers in Woburn and Winchester to experience a shorter jawbone on one side than the other due to a worn condyle. The condyle is the round part of the jawbone that rests against the skull. People may also have a shorter ramus that causes an uneven face.
The temporomandibular (tem-puh-roe-man-DIB-u-lur) joint (TMJ) acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. You have one joint on each side of your jaw. TMJ disorders — a type of temporomandibular disorder or TMD — can cause pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement.
Unilateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis causes facial asymmetry due to the undergrowth of the mandible. TMJ ankylosis is a fusion in the TMJ area that restricts jaw movements.
Untreated TMJ can cause constant tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, that can disrupt sleep and make it difficult to concentrate. Because our body's sense of balance is in the inner ears, the inflammation caused by TMJ disorder can impact balance as well, resulting in dizziness, unsteadiness, and vertigo.
So when the TMJ is affected, pain can spread throughout the eyes, ears, mouth, forehead, cheeks, tongue, teeth and throat. Even the muscles of the neck and upper back can become involved.
Touch – your dentist will use their fingers to apply a bit of pressure to the jaw and TMJ to test for tenderness and pain. Sight – your dentist will look inside your mouth for signs of teeth grinding, clenching and alignment issues. They'll also use X-Rays, if they've found evidence of a TMJ disorder.
TMJ disorder is most often diagnosed and treated by a dentist. A dentist diagnoses and treats your oral health as a whole, which includes the jaw. Symptoms and problems related to the jaw also affect the health of your teeth in many cases, and vice versa. Problems with your teeth can cause TMJ disorder to occur.
TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) disorders can produce facial asymmetry, with or without discomfort. Most of the time, these disorders can be managed without surgery. A bite system imbalance is the cause of TMJ. No coordinated function exists between teeth, jaw joints, and muscles.
While a person may notice their own facial asymmetry, other people will probably not be aware of them. In fact, research shows that it may even be a desirable feature and part of what makes a person unique. In some cases, an underlying medical condition may cause facial asymmetry.
Causes of Uneven Jaw
One of the most common causes of an uneven jaw is a TMJ disorder. TMJ is the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull. When it is weakened or is not working properly, it can cause an uneven jaw. The opposite is also true.
Facial asymmetry can also be caused by the jaw muscles. When the jaw muscles are working much harder on one side than the other, they can grow larger, just like muscles elsewhere in the body. This can cause one side of the face to look noticeably more muscular and bulged than the other.
The 3 Finger Test
A quick and easy way to identify a possible case of Trismus is to place three of your fingers, stacked, between your upper and lower teeth, or dentures. If the mouth can open wide enough to accommodate them comfortably, then Trismus is unlikely to be a problem.
Botox for TMJ can be highly effective. One 2012 study found that Botox treatments significantly decreased pain and increased mouth movements for three months following the treatment. Another study found that symptoms improved in 90 percent of participants.
TMJ Disorders Can Be Both Medical and Dental Problems
Arthritis is another medical condition that can lead to a TMJ disorder. However, TMJ disorders can also be a dental problem by nature, especially when it is caused by an underlying problem with a person's teeth.
When TMJ affects the eyes, the symptoms can include pressure that builds behind the eye sockets. Some people may also experience blurry vision. TMJ often causes tension headaches, which can contribute to blurry vision and pressure behind the eyes. Sufferers can also have pain around their eyes due to TMJ.
Facial nerve injury is a well-recognized risk of TMJ surgeries regardless of the surgical approach. The actual reported incidence of damage, however, varies among studies from 1% to 55%. [5] According to Keith,[12] the incidence of facial nerve injury resulting from TMJ surgery ranges from 1% to 25%.
TMJ disorders can cause pain in jaw joints and muscles. Because muscles in your neck are connected to your jaw, muscle tension that starts in your TMJ can move to your neck. This causes aches, spasms, tension and reduced flexibility in your neck.
Remember that for most people, discomfort from TMJ disorders will eventually go away on its own. Simple self-care practices are often effective in easing symptoms. If treatment is needed, it should be based on a reasonable diagnosis, be conservative and reversible, and be customized to your special needs.
The moral here is, it is never too late to get help and start to live your life pain-free.
Most patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) are not considered disabled as the condition does not limit their life activities and resolves quickly. Others may not be so fortunate.