Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is probably one of the newest disorders on the block. Some dentists believe that it is directly related to the occlusion one is born with. The TMJ is the joint where the lower jaw meets the skull near the ear. It can be felt by placing your forefingers on either side of your ears and by opening and closing your mouth. A depression will be felt.The socket where the two join has a cartilage-like disc, on which the lower jaw rides on.

As teeth come together, they fit into each others like a puzzle, the cusps of the upper will fit into the grooves of the lower and vis versa. The disorder occurs when the fit is off due to the way the teeth grew in or due to bad habits developed (grinding). Another reason is that the dentist neglected to adjust a filling, crown, bridge or denture. The adjustments are simple if caught early. The first step would be to do a selective grinding of the teeth for them to fit properly. Next, a series of continual hot compresses in the morning for the following two weeks can help relax your muscles of the jaw. Drug therapy can also be prescribed. However, if the case is more serious, the dentist will suggest an occlusal guard that will alleviate the pain and give your jaw muscles a much needed break! Sometimes the joint is very involved to the point that the disc present at the site is permanently damaged and surgery is a possible option to fix the never ending clicking.

Dr. Michael Farahnic

Always Your Choice is proud to acknowledge Dr. Michael Farahnick for his authorship in the dental articles. Dr. Farahnick is a practitioner of Dentistry, including both prevention and treatment. His practice involves all age groups and he has expertise in the area of accomodating the patient who has dental fears. He also is an instructor of dentistry at New York University School of Dentistry. We are proud to refer to Dr. Farahnick and he has become the dentist of many of our patients at the office. His contribution to our web site is greatly appreciated.

Dr. Michael Farahnick's office is located at: 405 Lexington Avenue (The Chrysler Building) Suite 6900 New York, NY 10174 - 0360 His office may be
reached at : 212 - 557 - 1234 E-mail:softstick@tiac.net