Even
though more than 20 million Americans suffer from TMJ
temple pain or TMJ headache, they mostly go
miss-diagnosed, becoming victims of the least understood
medical problems. There are a couple of reasons why TMJ
headaches remain un-diagnosed or miss-diagnosed by
medics. First of all, there is confusion among them
about the domain – whether it falls under the realm of
Neurologist, Dentist, orthopedist or Otolaryngologist
(ENT physicians) – who should take up the cases.
Confusion also haunts physicians as the pain bears
resemblance to sinus headache, migraine headache as well
as cluster headache. To be honest about it, people
involved with the medical profession refuse to accept
TMJ as a major health hazard, trying to treat the issue
by way of subduing the symptoms instead of curing the
disease.
However,
to find out the root cause of the TMJ temple pain, it
may be prudent to analyze the factors that are
principally associated with temporomandibular joint
disorder and its various
manifestations.
The two
bone structures on each side of the skull that form the
temporomandibular joints consist of the mandible or the
jaw, located inferiorly and the temporal bone of the
skull which is located superiorly. The disc that is
connected to the capsule separates the joint cavity into
superior and inferior spaces. Now, under normal
conditions, both sides of the joint work in a
synchronized form so that the bite becomes perfect.
However, the effects are not achieved by the action of
the bones but that of the muscles attached to it. In
fact, the muscles of mastication known as temporalis,
masseter, medial and lateral pterygoid on either side of
the TMJ all work together in a synchronic form in order
to affect the proper bite. The TMJ syndrome occurs when
this muscle synchrony goes haywire thus creating spasm,
pain and inflation in the adjoining areas. Moreover,
various facial tissues and nerves located in or around
the joint are equally responsible for the facial TMJ
pain (myofascial pain syndrome), headache including pain
in the temple, earache, stiffness in the upper torso,
locked jaw, clicking sound from the jaw, tinnitus,
numbness in the fingers, etc.
The TMJ
Disorder And The Temple Pain Is Caused Due
To Several Factors
- Trauma
due to accidental injury sustained in the jaw joint or
the mandible.
- Continuous
grinding of the teeth (bruxism) or clenching of the
teeth when in acute mental strain. Chronic patients
are often unaware of this peculiar habit that becomes
a second nature in them while some even do it in
sleep, little knowing the harm they are causing to
themselves.
- Chewing
gums create undue pressure on the temporomandibular
joint. However, it becomes worst since most chewing
involves one side of the jaw, thus creating imbalance
in jaw functioning, leading to TMJ misbalance and
consequential problems.
- Occupational
hazard pertaining to holding of the telephone receiver
between one side of the head and shoulder, the
instrument giving constant pressure to one side of the
TMJ.
- Congenital
(from birth) malformation of the temporomandibular
joint where one side of the mandible appears shorter
than the other side, thus creating
imbalance.
- Unnaturally
grown wisdom tooth interfering with the occlusion when
a person becomes major.
- Other
unknown reasons.
However,
TMJ-related temple pain can be tackled only through
curing the TMJ disorder that may involve both invasive
and non-invasive treatment protocol. Since experienced
physicians are generally not in favor of TMJ surgery,
one of the more common non-invasive methods is the TMJ
Neuromuscular treatment that is achieved in three
stages, namely – relieving muscle spasm and (temple)
pain, stabilization of the bite, long-term management of
the problem.
TMJ Cure –
What Really Works?
TMJ
Neuromuscular treatment is however not the only
treatment to get rid of the TMJ pain and the other signs
of TMJ. There are conventional therapies (drugs and
surgery) and over the counter solutions (mputhguards and
splints) too. Surgeries are risky and if you opt for
this, you need to consult a physician first. There are
home remedies and exercises too. The fact is, many of
these remedies provide some relief from the symptoms of
TMJ, but they return quickly, because the root causes of
the problem remain within the
body.
The only
sure relief from TMJ temple pain can be achieved through
the holistic method of treatment that treats the body as
a whole and identifies all the root causes of the
disease that can happen from many factors. Once the
causes are identified, the holistic treatment is
prescribed, and with this, each of these causes is
eradicated. Once the causes go away, the signs of TMJ
also go with that. And as a reward, the person gets
disease-free life which is full of life force and
vitality. The TMJ never comes back. Needless to say,
holistic remedies work much better than the other
treatments for TMJ.
