Addressing TMJ Disorder Symptoms

What if it really IS all in your head? Could your TMJ Disorder symptoms be confused with other problems? Can a good TMJ dentist change your life?

TMJ Disorder Symptoms

The temporomandibular joints connect your jaw with your skull. The muscles around it assist with chewing and talking.

TMJ symptoms can include:

• clicking of the jaw
• painful tight muscles
• facial pain
• tinnitus
• headaches
• neck or shoulder pain
• Inability to fully open your mouth is a clear symptom of TMJ dysfunction. 

TMJ Disorder Symptoms Overlooked

Diagnosing the apparently separate issues of mildly obstructed breathing, sleep problems, chronic fatigue, bite and TMJ can be difficult if you don’t fit the classic patterns of TMJ dysfunction of pain and clicking or sticking jaw.  The VAST majority of dentists do NOT address these issues except in a somewhat perfunctory manner. (Or incorrectly).  

In fact, most dentists assure you they work on TMJ problems, but in truth, they don’t address them properly or completely. They can also make you worse.

TMJ disorder symptoms are often overlooked in fatigue, anxiety and insomnia. 

The key is that these issues are basically the same thing. Bad bite, crowded teeth, restricted airway, mild or moderate sleep apnea and TMJ dysfunction should all be addressed simultaneously. The whole mouth is at fault: tongue, teeth, arches, missing teeth, receding chin, enlarged tonsils, mouth breathing, and more.

Taping your mouth before sleep has been a huge help for me and I encourage everyone to do this. Here’s an article and a podcast on this.

Anatomy of Your Face and Jaw

The lower half of your head is a complicated, condensed network of bone, ears, brain stem, nerves, arteries, lymph vessels, palate, airway, acupuncture meridians, teeth, muscles, gums and joints. It’s by far the most complex area in the human body.  As such, it’s got potential for diverse problems.

Bite and facial distortions

• A long face, recessed chin, buck teeth, bad bite etc. can CAUSE health problems.
• Problems include anxiety, dizziness, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, indigestion, headaches, insomnia, sleep apnea, heart rate disorders, immune dysfunction and more.
• Compression of the Vagus Nerve behind your jaw and down your head and neck will do all this and more.

Vitamin K2 and Dental Sturcture

Poor maternal nutrition can cause malformation in the child’s face and jaw.

As studied by dentist Weston A. Price in the 1940’s, even one generation of non-heritage food can cause narrowing of the face, producing visible and usually permanent changes in the teeth and head. 

Some of this can be corrected or prevented in childhood with adherence to grain-free and natural foods, as well as breastfeeding, encouraging chewier foods, and not allowing thumb sucking or mouth breathing.

The deficiency of Vitamin K2 is near universal. K2 governs the placement of calcium into bones. When deficient during youth, cheekbones, palate and jaw can be imperfect.

Underbite, narrow chin, narrow dental arches crowd the airway, leading to braces and tooth extraction.

All of this puts pressure on the TMJ jaw joint.

Imbalanced Facial Structure

Most of us had facial and oral deformities that required us to wear braces or have teeth pulled. Years later we have unequal bites, TMJ problems, pain, headaches and undiagnosed sleep apnea or airway restriction.  This may ALL be caused by imbalanced facial structure. 

Some people suffer with distinct TMJ disorders – clicking jaws, jaw pain, headaches, dizziness and more. Some suffer with distinct sleep apnea.  

Others, like myself, have NO APPARENT SYMPTOMS at all.  Only with a specialized dentist who is passionate about discovering and FIXING facial and dental formation can these problems be revealed and fixed.  And NOT with surgery or a CPAP!  And, at any age!

Braces pull teeth INWARDS, often requiring other teeth to be pulled to allow room. Proper CranioFacial Therapy EXPANDS the dental arch, retrains the tongue to rest at the roof of the mouth, relaxes facial and neck muscles, and allows the jaw to move forward to its correct position, opening the airway naturally.

Articles and Resource Links on TMJ Disorders

This is a long article so study it over time. Find the Resource Links at the bottom of the article, and learn, learn, learn. Here are other articles that speak about TMJ on this website. Your life can change

TMJ RESOURCES:  First of all, “Search” in your city for TMJ and Sleep Apnea, such as “San Antonio TMJ Sleep Apnea”.   Read carefully through your findings and you might be lucky to find someone actually educated in these. Not just giving “lip service”. Be careful with those who stress Sleep Apnea as what they really do, as they may only offer surgery or a CPAP, not TMJ correction.

On the other hand, be wary if they only discuss TMJ problems as they might not address your airway issues.  You must do both at the same time!  Ask them directly if they believe you have airway issues and if their project will resolve it.

Second, buy or rent an overnight wrist worn Pulse Oximeter and test your breathing and heart rate during sleep. Many doctors or top dentists have them. You can buy one online.

Third, Search the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain for a referral and some reading.  Then look at the North American Association of Facial Orthotropics.