Experiencing jaw pains is stressful, but it could be even more disturbing if you don’t know the cause. The temporomandibular disorder has quite some symptoms, and it is believed that the causes could just be as many. The disorder is relatively common, and it has affected a significant percentage of the current population. Most chronic diseases are more common in older people, but this one is more common in the younger generation which makes it unusual. You can read more about the possible causes of jaw pain below to get a better understanding of TMD and its symptoms. Temporomandibular disorder is the pain in the muscles of the face and jaw. Due to this, you may experience some discomfort when eating, but it could also be present when talking.
TMD could be extremely painful, but the symptoms are a lot more manageable. The symptoms could appear from nowhere or be more consistent and cause pain for a while. It could cause problems chewing with possible pains. The difficulties in chewing are as a result of jaw pain and tenderness in muscles and joints. It can also create an occasionally locked jaw. TMD could cause the jaw to get stuck in open or closed positions. If you are having difficulties opening your mouth full, then it could be a symptom of TMD.
TMD symptoms could be caused by various things which have made it difficult to connect it to a single cause. Much of the jaw pain and discomfort related to TMD can be controlled easily since they are mild.
Injuries are just one of the causes of TMD. TMD symptoms could occur as a result of severe damage to your neck muscles and the head. Direct impact to the head or face and more specifically the area near the jaws could impact in the same way.
Be it from genetics or past trauma, developing arthritis in the temporomandibular joint could cause TMD. Jaw pains are common in quite some people living with rheumatic arthritis. From this, medical experts have concluded that there is a relationship between the two. Jaw pains and other TMP symptoms could also result from disc erosion. The erosion of the TMJ disc could be detrimental and painful and may lead to asymmetries in the jaw that could cause it to move out of position.
Grinding and clenching your teeth also known as bruxism could be equally dangerous as any of these. If you continuously grind on your teeth could be harmful to your teeth and create a misaligned bite.