The temporomandibular joint or TMJ acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. Dysfunction can lead to pain and discomfort.
Jaw pain, difficulty chewing, and clicking and locking of the jaw joint are some of the symptoms.
Common treatments include medications, bite guards, and physical therapy.
More than 3 million US cases per year
Treatable by a medical professional
Usually self-diagnosable
Lab tests or imaging not required
Medium-term: resolves within months
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.
The exact cause of a person’s TMJ disorder is often difficult to determine. Your pain may be due to a combination of factors, such as genetics, arthritis or jaw injury. Some people who have jaw pain also tend to clench or grind their teeth (bruxism), although many people habitually clench or grind their teeth and never develop TMJ disorders.
In most cases, the pain and discomfort associated with TMJ disorders is temporary and can be relieved with self-managed care or nonsurgical treatments. Surgery is typically a last resort after conservative measures have failed, but some people with TMJ disorders may benefit from surgical treatments.
- Genetics
- Arthritis such as rheumatoid or osteoarthritis
- Jaw injury
- Clenching or grinding the teeth often
- Leaning on the chin
- Erosion of the disk cartilage that is present in the joints
- Connective tissue problems
- Jaw muscle problems
- Tumor or cancers of the joint or mouth
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