According to the JJAMD, (Jaw Joint and Musculo-skeletal Disorder Foundation), the symptoms of TMJ can range from a dull headache above and in front of the ears, to devastating and debilitating pain and dysfunction throughout the entire body. Because there are many different referred symptoms of TMJ, discovering a proper diagnosis is often over looked if not ignored entirely. A cursory exam to determine if TMJ dysfunction is the cause of a majority of your pain only takes 15 minutes or less. Often you can determine if the tendency is there from a phone interview, or you can look through this website at the causes, signs, and symptoms, etc., and get a pretty good idea yourself.
Symptoms need to be divided into 4 categories:
I. Referred Symptoms due to muscle spasms: a response triggered by the nervous and muscular systems to protect the injured joint from the lack of balance in the bite. See individual symptom headings within this web site for more info on a particular symptoms.
1. Headaches
2. Pain behind the eyes
3. Facial pain
4. Ear pain
5. Sinus pain
6. Neck pain and related shoulder and back pain
II. Other referred symptoms related to TMJ
1. Vertigo or dizziness
2. Ear pain
3. Partial hearing loss
4. Tinnitis or ringing of the ears
5. Pain anxiety cycle: stress + bite imbalance + a TM Joint problem leads to clenching & grinding of the teeth during sleep. This irritates the joint & increases the muscle spasms that cause the headaches, neck-aches & other symptoms. The pain creates more stress and the pain anxiety cycle repeats itself over & over for 10, 20, & 30 years.
6. Sleep loss or interrupted sleep due to pain anxiety cycle
7. Depression is a frequent by product of loss of sleep and chronic pain. This can be debilitating and sometimes life threatening if the TMJ problem is not diagnosed and treated.
8. Visual symptoms
III. Symptoms related to the joint itself: The reason it hasn't been diagnosed over the centuries, and often isn't today, is that the pain is rarely noted in the joint itself.
1. Clicking, popping or grating noises in the TM Joints during opening, closing, and side to side movements of your lower jaw.
2. Pain in the joint when clenching your teeth together or opening wide
3. Difficulty or pain when chewing food
4. Jaw locks in open position after a yawning or opening wide
5. Jaw locks closed. You are unable to open 45-55mm
6. Pain or aching in the joint itself
7. Jaw has to be manipulated to one side or the other in order open fully
IV. Dental symptoms
1. Gum disease
2. Enamel wear on central incisors and eye teeth:
3. Fracturing teeth due to excessive grinding
4. Needless root canals & extractions due to sensitive teeth from excessive grinding and neuromuscular hypersensitivity of the teeth. (see trigeminal connection on this site)
WITH OUR PRECISE TRIPLANE POSITIONING TREATMENT, WE ARE ABLE TO ELIMINATE OR REDUCE THE PAIN AND REFERRED SYMPTOMS IN 90% OF THE CASES WITHOUT DRUGS OR SURGERY. ONCE ACCOMPLISHED, WE ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE THE REBIRTH OF A NEW PERSON FREE OF PAIN & FULL OF ENERGY.
