You can do a lot to ensure that your teeth and gums remain healthy and disease-free; mainly, brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day to control the buildup of bacterial dental plaque. Yet, clean teeth and gums aren’t the only necessities of good dental health. For your teeth to serve their purpose, your jaw must move them, and for your jaw to move smoothly, its joints (called TMJs) must be perfectly aligned. When they’re not, then your bite’s entire balance can suffer, and TMJ disorder can make moving your mouth difficult and painful. The trouble with diagnosing TMJ disorder, however, is that its symptoms are diverse (i.e., chronic migraines, earaches, lockjaw, facial pain, etc.) and can indicate a number of different issues. If you suffer from chronic craniofacial pain, your Astoria dentist, Dr. Leibowitz, can perform a thorough examination to determine if it’s caused by TMJ disorder and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment. In the meantime, our short checklist below can help you test your jaw’s alignment to decide if TMJ disorder is likely.
Test Your Jaw at Home for the Possibility of TMJ Disorder
- Be aware of teeth grinding—Habitual teeth-grinding, called bruxism, is a common indicator and instigator of TMJ disorder. If you notice that you habitually clench your jaw and grind your teeth, or if you have a tendency to chew on pens, pencils, pen caps, ice, or anything other than a meal, then you may have TMJ disorder.
- Test your jaw’s movement—Your temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are gliding joints that should allow your lower jaw to move smoothly within their sockets. To test for correct alignment, stand in front of a mirror and slowly open and close your mouth from a resting position. If your jaw moves to the side, almost as if it were adjusting itself, then your jaw may not be aligned properly, or the sides of your jaw may be uneven.
- Massage the joints—The nerve that inundates your jaw is called the trigeminal nerve, and its three branches pass through much of your head, neck, and face. Disturbed jaw joints and muscles can agitate the nerve, and the discomfort can be transferred to other areas along it branches. The next time your chronic headache or earache resurfaces, try gently massaging your TMJs located just in front of each ear (at the temporal bones). If the gesture relieves your discomfort, then the pain may originate from TMJ disorder.
Treat TMJ Disorder at Your Astoria Dentist’s Office
To learn more, or to seek treatment for TMJ disorder, schedule a dental consultation with your Astoria dentist by calling our office today at (718) 728-8320. Located in the 11106 area, we proudly serve patients from Astoria, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the surrounding communities.
