Temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) disorders is a common problem that people often ignore simply because the symptoms can sometimes be masked from the Joint itself as in frequent headaches or neck muscle pain. There’s a very close relationship between the muscles that control the movement of the jaw , the head and neck muscles and the jaw joint.
The most common cause of jaw joint disorder (TMD) is bad occlusion (occlusion disease) in which there is misalignment of the teeth or interferences in the bite that prevents the jaw joint from being in a comfortable position. The misalignment of teeth can be caused by Bruxing or teeth grinding causing unusual teeth wear and shifting of the jaw joint. Popping, clicking and locking of the jaw is a very common symptom of TMD. Careful examination of the head and neck muscles and the jaw joint as well as the teeth and existing restorations can determine the cause of jaw joint disorder and the dentist can effectively treat the condition in most cases through adjusting the bite (bite equilibration) with or without fabricating a plastic bite appliance that can help support the jaw joint and alleviate muscle soreness.