Seek medical attention if you have persistent pain or tenderness in your jaw, or if you can't open or close your jaw completely. Your doctor, your dentist or a TMJ specialist can discuss possible causes and treatments for your problem.
Telling Signs Your Jaw Pain Is an Emergency
The pain is intense and too much to handle. The pain spreads to other areas of the body, such as the neck or the face. You find it difficult to eat, talk, or otherwise move your mouth and jaw. You notice swelling.
The final stage of the TMD refers to a transformation of the temporomandibular joint to an extent that its function is substantially decreased or even disabled due to disease or injury.
Anyone who's suffered from TMJ pain knows how debilitating it can be. While it may start with a little soreness at the temples or popping when you yawn, it can quickly progress into daily migraines, difficulty eating, and permanent damage to the teeth.
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.
TMJ symptoms last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. Some TMJ disorders can last months or years.
Temporomandibular joint disease, or TMJ, is a complex condition that often worsens over time. Typically caused by the misalignment of the teeth, TMJ can erode the joint capsule between the skull and the jawbone.
Although it's very common to experience pain when you have TMJ, it becomes serious when this pain doesn't go away or if it becomes worse. If you're dealing with any sort of pain in your jaw or mouth, it's best to seek a medical professional for a checkup.
While there are several reasons a patient can experience sudden or severe jaw pain, inflammation and overworked muscles tend to be the most common causes of TMJ flare-ups. Many physical changes and lifestyle habits can contribute to swelling around the joint and muscle tension.
Things that make TMJ dysfunction worse
Poor posture. (This can place excess pressure on your neck, shoulder and facial muscles.) Chewing on pens, pencils or other items (a common “nervous habit” behavior). Chewing on ice or excessively chewing gum.
Stage Three. Closed lock (disc displacement without reduction) occurs when clicking noises disappear but limited opening persists. The patient complains of TMJ pain and chronic limited opening, with the opening usually less than 30 mm.
Constant or repeated episodes of pain or tenderness at the TMJ or in and around the ear. Discomfort or pain while chewing. "Locking" of the joint in either the open or closed position. Chronic pain in other parts of the face lacking an obvious cause.
A variety of modalities can be used to image the TMJ, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), cone beam CT, ultrasonography, conventional radiography.
Unless the condition becomes severe, TMJ disorder does not necessitate emergency dental care. If you have a locked jaw or are in a lot of pain, you should go to the emergency room. Serious jaw injuries and dislocations may also necessitate emergency dental care in the ER.
Corticosteroid injections help to reduce any inflammation and pain in the TMJ and reduces chronic jaw pain. Botox is also used for the treatment of TMJ symptoms. Botox is a neurotoxin that paralyzes the muscles in the jaw, preventing clenching and alleviating symptoms.
You should talk to a healthcare provider if you have jaw pain that lasts more than a week. Severe jaw pain from a broken or dislocated jaw is a medical emergency. Likewise, severe pain that starts in your chest and your shoulders and moves to your jaw may be a heart attack symptom.
TMJ flare-ups can last from a couple of hours to several days. Untreated cases of TMJ disorder can become chronic and debilitating. The length of time that TMJ flare-ups last depends on the person. Each case is different and is determined by the underlying cause and if any treatment is being utilized.
More severe cases of TMJ can cause aching in the face, neck, shoulders, ears, and head. It may also be painful to talk, eat, or yawn. Some people may experience dizziness, impaired balance, or ringing in the ear (tinnitus). The pain caused by TMJ disorders will vary based on the root cause of the condition.
Chronic cluster, migraine, or tension headaches may be mistaken for TMJ disorder, especially since TMJ disorder itself can cause such headaches. Chronic sinus pain and sinus infections can also produce pain around the temples that can feel like TMJ disorder.
Other Causes of Jaw and Facial Pain: Certain other conditions including facial trauma, an abscessed tooth, or herpes zoster (shingles) can also cause pain similar to symptoms of TMJ disorder.
Untreated TMJ pain not only affects your sleep and the amount of oxygen you breathe at night, but also your mood, eating habits, and even the way you sit and walk. While TMJ is not a life-threatening disorder, if left untreated, its symptoms can negatively affect your quality of life over time.
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.
Many suffer from TMD and its consequences for decades before receiving an accurate diagnosis. Some people may never have TMJ disorder diagnosed, meaning they live with the ailment and the chronic, debilitating pain it can cause for their entire lives.