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What Is TMJ/TMD?
Understanding
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT, TMJ
TMJ is short for the temporomandibular joint. When issues occur with this joint, it can cause a range of disorders known as Temporomandibular Disorders, or TMD for short. These two terms, TMJ and TMD, are often used interchangeably even though anatomically everyone has a TMJ, but only people with jaw pain, clicking, and other symptoms are considered TMD.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder is a disorder that can lead to intense facial pains. Women who are of childbearing age are most commonly affected, but TMD can affect men and children as well and the severity of each case ranges from mild discomfort to intense chronic pain that inhibits eating, talking, and everyday life.
The exact causes of this disorder are unknown. However, it can manifest in painful and uncomfortable symptoms. Here at the Black Hills Sleep, we treat a range of patients who suffer from TMD.
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The symptoms of TMD are categorized as types of craniofacial pain. Craniofacial pain is a broad term used for encompassing all pain in the face and head, including those caused by temporomandibular disorders. Craniofacial pain can include the following symptoms:
- Muscular/facial pain
- Locking of the jaw
- Clicking or popping of the jaw
- Nerve disorders
- Referred ear pain, fullness or ringing
- Headaches
- Neck pain
