Joint Diseases

What is Temporomandibular Joint Diseases?

Temporomandibular joint diseases include a group of diseases that affect our jaw joints and the muscles that help us chew.
Scientific studies have shown that 20% -30% of the population has this disease, and the incidence of the disease is higher in women.
Causes of temporomandibular joint diseases
Acute trauma (sudden blow to the jaw or face)
Chronic Trauma (voluntary or involuntary clenching and/or grinding)
psychological stress
Impaired closure of teeth
temporomandibular joint arthritis
There are tumors of the temporomandibular joint.
In addition, some systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can cause discomfort in the jaw joints.

What are the symptoms?

Pain and tenderness in front of the ear in daily activities such as speaking, eating, yawning
Feeling as if the mouth will remain open or closed in these activities (locking feeling)
Pain and spasm in facial muscles
Clicking or rubbing sounds from the jaw joint when opening and closing the mouth
Pain that starts from the face area and spreads to the head, neck and back
Feeling restless and tired when the person wakes up in the morning. Waking up with pain.
Tinnitus, whistling, dizziness
If you have one or more of these symptoms, you should consult a doctor who specializes in joint diseases.

How is the treatment done?

Cause-oriented treatment is applied. One or more of the following methods can be applied
soft diet, avoiding mouth opening,
Physiotheraphy,
Intraoral occlusal splint applications,
Occlusal splints are completely different from night aligners applied to protect teeth. Night plaques prevent damage such as cracks in the teeth that may occur due to clenching and grinding, while occlusal splints have a healing effect on the jaw joint and chewing muscles.
Activities to reduce stress
Combined use of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and muscle relaxants, sometimes even low-dose antidepressants
Regulation of dental contacts
Elimination of tooth deficiencies
orthodontic treatment

Although rare, surgical intervention may be used in cases where these treatments do not produce results.