Don’t Ignore Jaw Pain: When to See an Oral Surgeon for TMJ

You have two temporomandibular joints (TMJ), one on each side of your face. They connect your bottom jaw to your face. 

At Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi in Flowood, Mississippi, Dr. Michael Nichols treats a variety of TMJ disorders. Some are mild and can be managed with rest, eating soft foods, facial exercises, and/or applying heat and ice. In other cases, surgery is the best option. 

Here, we discuss indicators that you may need surgery to get relief from your TMJ disorder. 

Common causes of TMJ disorder

A TMJ problem can be related to an issue with the bones, the muscles that move the joint, the cartilage that cushions the joint, or the tendons and ligaments that support the joint.

Common causes of TMJ disorders include: 

• Injury
• Damage to the cartilage due to arthritis or dislocation
• Diseases that affect your cartilage
• Bruxism or teeth grinding
• Inflammatory disorders that affect the muscles around your TMJ
• Misalignment of your teeth or jawbones

 A TMJ disorder can affect one or both temporomandibular joints. 

Likely symptoms of TMJ disorder

Your symptoms largely depend on why your TMJ isn’t working, but you may experience one or more of the following: 

• Pain when you open your mouth, eat, or yawn
• A clicking or popping sound when you open your mouth
• Feeling that your jaw catches when you open or close your mouth
• Your jaw locks when you open your mouth
• Clenching or grinding your teeth
• Difficulty using your front teeth to eat
• Your teeth don’t touch when you bite
• Your teeth meet differently sometimes
• Jaw soreness when you wake up

If you experience any of these symptoms and you’ve had an injury to your jaw or lower face, you have a condition that affects your joints, like arthritis, or you grind your teeth during your sleep, you may have a TMJ disorder. 

Treating TMJ disorders

As we mentioned earlier, conservative treatments are sometimes the best way to approach a TMJ disorder. However, as doctors and researchers learn more about TMJ disorders, surgical options have evolved. 

Talk to an expert in maxillofacial surgery, such as Dr. Nichols, before deciding on surgery to correct a TMJ disorder. He can evaluate your problem and make recommendations based on his deep experience and understanding of how temporomandibular joints function. 

If your issue is related to your bite — how your teeth come together when your mouth is closed — surgery could be the best course of treatment. In some cases, arthroscopy and joint repair are necessary to correct the problem causing your pain. 

When your pain disrupts your ability to live your life, and conservative treatments aren’t helping, surgery could be the best way to address your TMJ disorder. Discussing your situation with an expert is the all-important first step. 

Schedule your appointment by calling Oral & Facial Surgery of Mississippi today.