All Patients Are Not Alike

Some TMJ sufferers are fortunate enough to only experience mild symptoms involving the jaw and head. Others will feel symptoms all throughout their body and will have weekly, if not daily, painful headaches. Some people with TMJ will get dizzy and feel faint because their inner ear is affected, while others will feel a tingling or numb sensation that radiates into their arms and hands.

Unfortunately for many people, TMJ symptoms may affect the entire body, which means you will have trouble working, playing, and performing general activities of daily living. For this reason, if you feel you have TMJ but don’t have an official diagnosis, Dr. Prabu Raman, a premier Kansas City, Missouri, Physiologic Neuromuscular Dentist, has the knowledge, skills, and training necessary to diagnose and treat TMJ.

Using some of the most advanced neuromuscular dentistry technology available today, Dr. Raman can diagnose the source of your jaw pain and use that technology to monitor the movements and sounds of the jaw, allowing him to custom design a TMJ treatment plan for you.

Most Common TMJ Jaw Symptoms

Jaw pain and tightness in the jaw are the two most common TMD jaw symptoms, with these additional jaw symptoms being presented also:

What Causes TMJ Jaw Symptoms?

There are a number of reasons people get TMJ. Trauma to the face, as in a car accident or blow to the face, may cause TMJ. The temporomandibular joints are especially susceptible to injury because of the work that they do for the face and head.

The TMJ has one feature that many joints do not: The temporomandibular joint combines a hinge action with sliding motions. Therefore, the joint moves horizontally and vertically. The parts of the bones that interact in the TMJ are covered with cartilage and separated by a small shock-absorbing disk, which normally keeps the movement smooth. When something is wrong with the hinge motion or the disk, jaw pain will result. You will feel painful TMJ jaw symptoms if:

  • The disk erodes or moves out of its proper alignment
  • The joint’s cartilage is damaged by osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis

Some factors that may increase your chances of developing TMJ jaw symptoms are:

  • Injury to the jaw
  • Chronic grinding or clenching of teeth
  • Certain connective tissue diseases that cause problems affecting the temporomandibular joint

The exact cause of TMJ is often very difficult to determine. Your pain may be due to a combination of factors, such as genetics, arthritis, or jaw injury. While bruxism is a frequent cause of TMJ, some people will grind and clench their teeth for years and never have one other TMJ symptom. The TMJ is the most complex joint in the body, and TMD is one of the most complex disorders one can experience.

Effective Treatment for the Jaw Symptoms of TMJ

With the bad news being that Dr. Raman may never be able to discern what has caused your TMJ, especially if your memory of an injury is cloudy, there is some good news. You’re in excellent hands with Dr. Raman. World-renowned Dr. Raman can start you on a treatment plan soon after he performs a comprehensive evaluation using some of the most amazing technology available today. Some of the most effective technology for TMJ-related symptoms that you’ll find at the Raman Center for TMJ & Sleep include:

  • EMG
  • TENS
  • DNA Appliance®
  • OccluSense
  • K-7
  • Carestream Scanner
  • Cone Beam CT Scanner

Get Help for Painful TMJ Jaw Symptoms Today

With a proper diagnosis from premier Kansas City, Missouri, neuromuscular dentist Dr. Prabu Raman, you can quickly be on the road to recovery after a proper TMJ/TMJ diagnosis. Dr. Raman is a well-respected innovator, pioneer, and educator in the field of Physiologic Neuromuscular Dentistry and treats patients from all over the world.

Please contact Raman Center for TMJ & Sleep today by calling (816) 436-4422, or fill out our online contact form. One of our amazing TMJ team members will reach out to answer questions or schedule a new patient evaluation. You need not suffer from the painful TMJ jaw symptoms you’re experiencing any longer.