T.M.J. Disorder. What is it good for? - Absolutely nothing!
.....................................................By Leon Treger B.Sc., D.D.S.

Temporo-Mandibular Joint (T.M.J.) func­tion is a greatly misunderstood area of health. Most commonly, dentists and chiropractors arc the health profession­als to really examine this enigmatic part of our anatomy.
Many of us carry and store our everyday stress in the muscles of the head and neck. Tension headaches and sore necks are as common as the television commercials for the pain-killer pills claiming to cure them.
Assuming that the headache sufferer is in good general health an obvious ques­tion arises: What is it that hurts in the head during a headache?
Is it the bone? Or may be it is the skin that hurts around the face. Or may be it is the muscles that drive us to the med­icine cabinet to pop yet another Advil or Tylenol.
A recent Harvard University Medical School research study into the causes of headaches and migraines has estab­lished that the majority of headaches and migraines in an otherwise healthy individual are caused by the disruption of healthy function of the T.M.J.
T.M.J. is the joint responsible for the relationship between the lower jaw and the head. T.M.J. is a very unique joint; It has a disk that protects the two bony working surfaces from wearing out. In the spinal column there exists a very painful condition called a dislocated or slipped disk. It is when this protective disk slips out of its protective functional position. This dislocation causes pinching or compression of the nerves and blood vessels traveling through that join space. Sciatica is a well known pain condition resulting from such a dislocation of the disc.
It produces pinching of the sciatic nerve in the lower back area.
T.M.J. also has such a protective disc within it. Dislocation of the T.M.J. disc results in the pinching of one of the branches of the very important nerve going into head and neck areas. The normal supply of blood also gets inter­rupted. Both result in a headache.
Temporal Mandibular Joint is the centre of the continuous movement of the jaw. It works during speaking, laughing, eating and turning of the head. You can feel it working when you place your index finders on the skin immediately in front of the earlobes while opening and clos­ing our mouth.
Does it hurt in there? Is it cracking, snapping and popping? Does it get stuck in an open position? It is difficult to open you mouth all the way without it making a loud noise? If you answered “yes” to any one of the above questions and you suffer with headaches, it is very likely that your joint is trying to tell you something.
So what do you do to help yourself to feel better?
Here is one remedy that will actually save you money: STOP CHEWING GUM! “Why gum?" you ask. Because when you chew chewing gum, you overstress already stressed muscles of the head and neck. These muscles are in spasm when the T.M.J. is under compression. Next come well prescribed homeopathic remedies which have no known side effects. Chiropractic treat­ments can be of relief as well. Medication, massage and hypnosis are a great way to help you with headaches.
The absolute essential in the case of T.M.J. disorder is the help you can get in a dental practice where T.M.J. disorders are treated. There, you will receive a custom made intraoral appliance. This function is to re-establish a healthy relationship (position) between your lower jaw and the rest of your head, the so called cranio-mandibular balance. In this healthier position T.M.J. will get some well deserved rest and a chance to heal. Many people have given up their pain killer pills for this retainer. These happy patients’ livers are greatest beneficiaries of such a switch, since the pills can real­ly damage this essential organ.
May you be healthy and happy and never know headaches.
In the next issue, I will address a question of periodontal disease and holistic non invasive treatment choices available today.

.................................................MIND OVER MIND & BODY, 2005 - #1