The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) guides jaw movement. When it doesn’t work properly, it can lead to pain in the chewing muscles and joints, ear pain, tooth sensitivity, limited mouth opening, locking of the jaw and headaches.

Dr. team specializes in TMJ therapy Raleigh NC and related facial, neck and ear pain. Her multidisciplinary approach will unveil what’s causing your problems.

Symptoms

The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) connect your jawbone to your skull and facilitate essential movements like chewing, speaking and yawning. Problems with this joint and its surrounding muscles can cause jaw pain or tenderness, limited mouth movement, clicking or popping sounds when chewing or opening the jaw, and a locked jaw.

These symptoms can affect the neck and head, too, including earaches or ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Many people with TMJ have chronic headaches, and this condition may also worsen your mood, make it difficult to focus and increase your risk of depression and anxiety.

TMJ can be divided into bone and joint problems or muscular issues. The latter tend to be the result of overuse of chewing muscles, muscle knots (“trigger points”), stress/anxiety, teeth clenching/grinding or medical comorbidities such as fibromyalgia. Typically, the most common signs of TMJ are jaw pain or tenderness, restricted movement of the jaw, clicking or popping noises when chewing or opening and closing the mouth, and a locked jaw.

Diagnosis

The temporomandibular joints, or TMJ, connect your jaw to your skull and facilitate the up-and-down and side-to-side movement necessary for chewing and talking. When these joints become stressed, you may experience jaw pain or tenderness, popping or clicking noises when you chew or yawn, limited mouth opening, lockjaw, and headaches.

These symptoms could indicate a TMJ disorder, also known as TMD or TMJD. Duke’s interdisciplinary team of orofacial pain specialists, physical therapists, and psychologists can help uncover what is causing your symptoms.

We can use advanced diagnostic techniques to uncover what is causing your symptoms and create an individualized treatment plan. Symptoms can be masked by other ailments, including sinus headaches and migraines, neck or shoulder stiffness, or ear aches. Our goal is to improve your quality of life by alleviating your TMJ therapy Raleigh NC discomfort. Our treatment focuses on restoring proper function of the TM joint and muscles that surround it. We also focus on teaching you how to maintain a healthy posture when sitting and sleeping.

Treatment

TMJ treatment focuses on the musculature, joints and ligaments involved in chewing, swallowing, opening the mouth, and moving the jaw. It may include therapeutic injections of the muscles and joints, acupuncture, dry needling, home jaw stretching exercises, and massage therapy.

Changing your diet to limit foods that require a lot of chewing can help reduce stress on the joint and relieve symptoms. Your therapist can also recommend a custom mouthguard to prevent teeth grinding and clenching, which can lead to TMJ.

Physiotherapists can teach you to sit with better posture, which can decrease stress on the TMJ. In addition, your therapist can use manual therapy to increase movement in the jaw’s tissues and break up scar tissue adhesions (which can make your jaw feel tight or lock). The goal is to improve your ability to move the jaw smoothly, without pain or stiffness. This can reduce or eliminate symptoms of TMJ, such as jaw pain, clicking or popping noises, and restricted mouth movement.

Prevention

TMJ disorders develop for a variety of reasons. Tight jaw muscles can clench and grind teeth, which tightens the muscle ligaments surrounding the joint and can stress the disk that cushions the TM joint. This causes the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) to slip out of place or make clicking sounds. Trauma or arthritis can damage the TM joint directly or stretch or tear the muscle ligaments that surround the joint.

Fortunately, TMJ therapy Raleigh NC symptoms are easier to diagnose and treat than ever before. Our therapists use a comprehensive approach of information, reassurance, control of functional excesses, physical therapies, rehabilitation and pharmacotherapy to restore the healthy function and harmony of your mouth, jaw and nervous system. Find effective TMJ therapy in Raleigh NC to relieve jaw pain, headaches, and discomfort. Personalized treatments for lasting relief and improved jaw function.