Baton Rouge Dentist

How Do I know if I Have TMD?

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Do I have TMD? When I eat, my jaw cracks, pops and it hurts. Today, I attempted to eat and opened my jaw and it felt locked. At this moment, I can only fit a couple fingers in my mouth and my jaw seems to pop out of place. What is going on?
– Andrew from Louisiana

Dear Andrew,

Based on what you’ve mentioned, it sounds like you may be suffering from Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) and lock jaw. Research indicates this type of disorder is often caused by stress and this occurs when a person grinds or clenches their teeth while sleeping; this is a way to alleviate pent-up anxiety. Of course clenching may also occur when a person is awake as well.

The act of clenching and grinding may cause clicking and popping and make your teeth hurt. All of this may also cause gum recession and bone loss around the teeth.

People often experience TMD problems when their teeth due to the fact that their teeth are not properly aligned. When this is the case, orthodontics is needed to correct jaw joint issues.

If you’re not suffering from bad tooth alignment, your dentist will probably recommend a night guard for you to wear at night when you sleep. This will prevent you from clenching and grinding and will alleviate your symptoms of cracking and popping. This will also keep you from suffering tooth pain or bone loss.

Clues that you may be grinding or clenching:
■Morning headaches
■Sore cheeks
■Jaw joint pain
■Tooth pain
■Tooth wear
■Ab fraction Lesions (tooth enamel wearing off side of tooth next to gums causing sensitivity)

If you’re suffering from tooth pain or lock jaw, use heat and ice packs on your jaw joints several times a day for 10-15 minutes at a time. This will alleviate swelling around your joints. Lock jaw may last several weeks.

We recommend you book an appointment and see a dentist for an evaluation on your condition. They will be able to rule out whether you’re suffering from Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction and will know how to help you.

This blog brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry, Baton Rouge Family Dentist.

My sister’s mouth won’t open properly she complains that her jaws is stiff. What is it?

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My sister cannot open her mouth properly and had no problem with it this morning. She gets a pin prick feeling at the bottom of her jaw and sometimes when she opens it a bit wider she gets small headaches.

Thanks, Kyle

Dear Kyle,

It sounds like your sister is having temporomandibular joint dysfunction. This type of disorder can come and go or be constant. Stress, grinding and clenching of the teeth, gum chewing, or misaligned teeth are some of the factors that lead to this disorder. Headaches, earaches, and pain upon opening are common symptoms of this dysfunction of the joint. Our advice would be to put heat and ice packs on the joints to help alleviate the pain, take ibuprofen as needed, rest the jaw by keeping teeth slightly apart, and reduce stress. We recommend she consult with a dentist who offers TMJ treatment. If she is grinding or clenching a mouth appliance may be recommended to prevent her from having symptoms, reduce the pain, and prevent her from causing damage to her teeth.

Post courtesy of Dr. Perry, Baton Rouge Dentist.