The jaw joint is situated right in front of the ear. Many people experience jaw popping and clicking when opening the oral cavity, but this likely does not produce too much discomfort. Nevertheless, this may be a primary cause of long-term headaches and serious soreness.
During an evaluation the jaw joint may be analyzed using a Doppler ultrasound which allows us to look for any inner condition. Behind the ear, the combined space will also get investigated for nerve impingement and by pulsating the face muscles, even more information can be accumulated to see if in fact the cause of pain is coming from the jaw joint.
Most of the common causes of jaw joint pain include trauma or injury to the jaw, uneven bites, congenital or hereditary issues, existing health issues, posterior tooth loss, or clenching or grinding problems.
Jaw joint ailments are generally complicated to treat, based upon the severity and source of the pain. The most typical origin of discomfort are the muscles in the face, the teeth, or from infection around the jaw joint area itself.
There are a couple of distinctive treatment techniques that vary from a detailed routine of prescription medications, physiotherapy, or acupuncture, if the problems are linked to muscle or teeth, a splint will normally be made. The splint is oftentimes referred to as a Bruxism splint, biting appliance, or mouth guard. Its main purpose is to reduce the the tension on the teeth triggered when they grind against each other or when they are tightly clenched together. The decrease in tension enables the face muscles to relax and will place much less tension on the jaw joint.
The time that it requires to treat this particular disorder will vary greatly with the individual and the severity of the disorder. Occasionally, the concerns can be simply fixed yet there are circumstances when the individual will need many years to resolve the issue.
