The Types and Causes of Jaw Pain
TMJ is a complex phenomenon. It can result in many problems, including:
- Soreness in the muscles
- Soreness in the teeth
- Soreness in the bone
- Pain (and sometimes clicking, popping or sticking) in the joint itself
- Pinched nerves that may lead to either sharp, stabbing pain or numbness
When your temporomandibular joints are out of balance, they can cause muscle pain because your muscles are constantly working harder to perform the normal actions of swallowing, chewing, breathing, and speaking. TMJ can also cause bone and tooth pain, as these muscles in tension are putting extreme pressure on your hard tissues. And because there are numerous nerves that run by the muscles and bones of your jaw, nerve irritation often comes with TMJ.
Although your jaw pain may be diverse, treatment works to correct all types of pain at the same time by addressing the root cause.
Do You Have Other Symptoms?
TMJ symptoms rarely come alone, because the phenomenon is complex and affects so many different types of tissue. Often your jaw pain may be related to other symptoms you experience. Soreness in your muscles may be accompanied by the other effects of muscle tension: face pain, tension headaches, and neck pain. Pinched nerves are not only responsible for jaw pain, they can cause tinnitus and cause migraines. Soreness in teeth and bones may later lead to chipped or broken teeth.
TMJ treatment can reduce or eliminate all these symptoms as well.
You don’t have to keep living with jaw pain. To start getting relief, please book an appointment at Rice Dentistry in Irvine today.
