The jaw contains the jaw bone or mandible and the temporal bones of the skull. The anatomical word for the jaw joint is the temporomandibular joint or TMJ. You have a left and right TMJ. Considering that the temporal bones are part of the skull, the alignment of the head and neck affects normal jaw function.The jaw joint (TMJ) is protected by a capsule or envelope. Providing a seperation for the mandible bone from the temporal bones in each joint is a disc. This pads the bones and prevents wearing away of the bone surfaces. Keeping the disc and joint in a stable placement are a number of ligaments. The jaw performs due to many muscles that open, close and shift the jaw in the directions needed for normal functions, like eating & speaking. As you can see from the above anatomy, there are a good number of different structures within the jaw joint that may become injured or strained and cause jaw pain or face pain.
Common contributers to Jaw Pain:
* Concerns responsible for jaw pain may be more commonplace in females than males.
* Traumatic injuries from an accident or sports injury for example boxing. This may be responsible for a fracture or dislocation of the jaw.
* Jaw pain due to clenching and grinding of the teeth. This is known as bruxing, and it often causes tenderness in the muscles of the jaw and face. If it’s severe, your dentist may prescribe a mouth plate / splint to help to protect your teeth from being worn down or cracking and chipping. Bruxism is commonly experienced because of emotional stress and most often happens at night. Bruxism can even cause face pain and headaches, which are often experienced on waking in the morning.
* Pain and spasm in the jaw muscles after a dental procedure affecting your occlusion (your bite) in particular, a filling that was positioned too high.
* Attempting to keep the mouth open for long periods such as during time-consuming dental treatments can trigger spasm and pain in certain jaw muscles like the lateral pterygoid. The lateral pterygoid muscle links to the disc in the jaw joint and can pull the disc out of the correct orientation (disc derangement). This is experienced as a painful click in the joint as soon as the mouth is opened or closed, and it can reduce the mouth’s range of motion (called ‘closed lock’). Early manual manipulation of the jaw to replace the disc by an experienced physiotherapist or dentist is crucial.
* The capsule of the jaw joint might become inflamed triggering a painful jaw condition which is called capsulitis.
* Arthritis of the jaw joint can bring about stiffness and pain all over the jaw and face.
Specialised physiotherapy treatments for jaw pain
Physiotherapists are proficient at addressing musculoskeletal concerns. Jaw pain, however, is a condition that is not widely treated by physiotherapists, as many of the jaw muscles must be accessed through the mouth. At Melbourne TMJ and Facial Pain Centre, our physiotherapists are accomplished at alleviating jaw pain with techniques both inside and outside the mouth. Additionally, they grasp the complex interconnection between the jaw and the head / neck and include this in the therapy for jaw pain difficulties. Our physiotherapists partner with dentists and dental specialists to co-ordinate professional physiotherapy treatment with other therapies that jaw pain sufferers might benefit from.
Call Melbourne TMJ Centre for further information on jaw pain on (03) 9500 8656 or visit our website at melbournetmjcentre.com.au
