Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Treatments

 

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a dynamic, living tissue that connects the lower jaw to the skull. Temporomandibular joint disorder is a syndrome of pain and dysfunction affecting the masticatory muscles. Temporomandibular joint disorders have become widespread and affect a wide range of people. They result from a disruption in the alignment between the joint surface and the disc.

Symptoms of Jaw Joint Disorders

• Feeling of pain when opening the mouth
• Grinding, clicking, rattling sounds when opening and closing the mouth
• Limited ability to open the mouth or locking
• Pain or stiffness in the neck
• Headache (not to be confused with migraine pain)
• Severe pain felt during chewing and in the face
• Pain felt when closing teeth on top of each other
• Feeling of rapid fatigue in the jaws during chewing
• Difficulty and pain in opening the jaw, usually in the morning when waking up
• Difficulty in yawning
• Earaches and ringing in the ears, rumbling-like sounds, feeling of blockage and pressure
• Sudden changes in the way the upper and lower teeth meet
• Facial asymmetry that may be due to hyperplasia of the facial muscles
• Deviation (slipping) of the jaw during mouth opening

Causes of Jaw Joint Disorders

• Direct trauma to the jaw or joint area (as a result of an accident or impact)
• Unilateral chewing habit
• Tooth deficiencies
• Clenching and grinding teeth
• Stress, depression etc.
• Non-physiological tooth occlusion
• Developmental defects of the joint (hypoplasia, etc.)
• Degenerative joint disorders, osteoarthritis, arthrosis
• Autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus
• Orthodontic disorders
• Unknown factors

If joint disorders cannot be treated with conservative or minimally invasive methods, surgical intervention is necessary. Tumorous or cystic lesions in the mandible can involve the TMJ, causing extensive bone destruction. Following reconstruction, extensive resection is required. The patient's rib grafts are used in conjunction with titanium plates for the reconstruction. Jaw reconstruction surgery is a very challenging procedure. Only highly experienced surgeons perform TMJ reconstruction surgery.

Tumoral or cystic lesions in the mandible can involve the TMJ, causing extensive bone destruction. This sometimes requires extensive resection. Sometimes, grafts taken from the patient's ribs are used for reconstruction, along with titanium plates. Jaw reconstruction surgery is a very challenging procedure. Only highly experienced surgeons perform TMJ reconstruction. This is a type of joint replacement surgery.

TMJ Ankylosis Surgery

TMJ ankylosis, one of the causes of inability to open the mouth, can be bony or fibrous. It can also be unilateral or bilateral. Unilateral ankylosis causes the jaw to deviate toward the ankylosed side. Bilateral ankylosis causes severe limitation of mouth opening, affecting both speech and eating. Early mobilization and exercises after surgery help maintain joint function and prevent reankylosis.