TMJ Forum - Tmj And Jaw Joint Anatomy + Treatment Options
medical questions | health forums log in    

Tmj And Jaw Joint Anatomy + Treatment Options

New Topic  Reply  Ask A Doctor - Offline
Medical Questions-> Health Forums -> TMJ -> Tmj And Jaw Joint Anatomy + Treatment Options
Author Message
mmike56

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Location: Durham, NC
Tmj And Jaw Joint Anatomy + Treatment Options
Posted: 07-17-03 10:45am

The inability to open or close your jaw all the way may signal what they call "disk displacement without reduction." Usually when you open and close your jaw a small disk stays between your jaw bone and the place where it meets your skull or cranium. When you hear clicking and popping, that usually means the disk is being "displaced" when you chew. When the disk is jammed to the back or front of the disk space and does not move back all the way, it limits how far you can open and close your jaw.

Take a look at www.rad.washington.edu for a discussion of jaw joint anatomy at the University of Washington's site.

Bottom line: If it's not that painful or bothersome, you probably don't need immediate treatment. But you may want to monitor your condition carefully and perhaps be evaluated by a dentist with lots of experience treating TMJ problems. Here's a professional group of dentists who specialize in evaluating and treating TMJ. There's a locator function for finding a specialist in your state:

www.aacfp.org - The American Academy of Craniofacial Pain is an organization of about 500 dentists and other clinicians who treat TMJ.

Good luck!
Did you find this post useful?
|
Related Topics
This Forum This Category All Forums
Jump to:  
New Topic   Reply



We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health
information:
verify here.