Open your mouth and say "Ahhh"

Can't do it because of a certain amount of pain when you try or because you hear an unusual clicking, grinding, or popping sound whenever you open your mouth? Welcome to the world of TMJ pain. This means that your jaws are no longer aligned properly or that the cartilage separating the lower and upper jawbones has already been worn down, keeping your jaw from moving correctly.

What is TMJ pain's major cause? Actually, there are quite a lot, but you can divide them into three. Major trauma, for example, takes place when there is direct impact to the jaw, such as a punch or being hit by an object. Minor trauma includes factors like teeth grinding and nailbiting. Another factor is joint disease, in which the cartilage between the jawbones is worn down or arthritis has attacked the area.

Which of these is causing your TMJ pain?

TMJ syndrome defined

What is TMJ syndrome? It's a condition of the jaw bones that arises whenever the jaws are thrown out of alignment and prevents the mouth from moving properly. Temporomandibular joint disorder is probably one of the most common conditions in the world, and is unfortunately one of those that tend to be left untreated; this could be because some people don't deem it frighteningly important enough or because they simply have no idea that they are already suffering from TMJ. Symptoms of TMJ syndrome are numerous and includes seemingly unrelated aches and pains in the head, the ears, the neck, and the shoulders. This is brought about by the nerves surrounding the affected area, which then transmit pain to other parts of the body.

TMJ: the basics

People have at some point already heard about TMJ, and have also wondered, "What is TMJ?" This is usually associated with the disease itself, known more as TMJ disorder or TMJ syndrome, but not everyone has stopped to think about the real TMJ. It is the temporomandibular joint, the hinge connecting the mandible or lower jawbone to the upper temporal bone. It is the joint that lets you move your mouth open and close or side to side, and you need to have a healthy TMJ in order to do these movements smoothly. Otherwise, the bones will simply be rubbing against one another in the absence of a cartilage and then impact surrounding nerves, causing pain in other parts of your body.