TMJ and Arthritis: Is There a Link?

The temporomandibular joints, more commonly referred to as the TMJ, can be found in front of the ears, right at the spot where the upper jaw and lower jaw meets. Try to open your mouth. Feel the ball-like joints forming near your ears. Then close your mouth. Do you feel the bones moving? Those are the temporomandibular joints. TMJ's are well used joints. You move it as you speak, eat, bite, or yawn. And it's a set of complex joints too. When observed under the microscope, the joints are made up of complicated arrays of bones, tendons, and muscles.

As such, TMJ disorders are very common. TMJ disorders are characterized by the stiffness of the joints. It can also be associated to ear pain, headaches, bite problems, locked jaws, or clicking sounds. The worse that could happen is arthritis. TMJ can definitely lead to arthritis if the symptoms are not addressed right away. The underlying conditions of jaw arthritis and TMJ disorders would include teeth grinding, nail biting, gum chewing, teeth misalignment, dental problems, stress, and jaw trauma. If you suffer from any of these conditions, consult with your doctor right away to prevent arthritis.

The most common symptom of TMJ disorders would be recurring headaches. You may also experience facial pains every now and then. The pain could start on TMJ and then spread all over the face and the head. The condition may even get worse as you try to move your jaws. Expect the contraction of the jaws to be very painful. It could get worse if you are in a place where the weather or the surroundings are cold.

Most of TMJ disorder patients go through episodes of ear pain. There might not be signs of infection in the ears but the pain would be as intense. The pain may be concentrated right on the spot where the joints are located. So if your ears hurt but you don't feel any pus, hearing loss, or infections in your ear, TMJ disorders might be causing the problem.

Grinding, clicking, crunching, and popping sounds are normal on people with TMJ problems. Severe pain may come together with the sounds as well. Episodes of dizziness are usually associated with the disorder too. Balance problems are also expected.

More severe conditions such as fullness of the ear and tinnitus may also occur. With these complications, the patient's ears could feel muffled or clogged. This is usually felt with greater intensity when aboard the airplane, more particularly during takeoffs and landings.

TMJ disorders can be hard to diagnose. This is because both a dentist and a doctor have to test you for it. Dentists are tasked to treat the problem if it is caused by teeth imperfections. If not, then a doctor would step in. In worse cases, surgery may be required.

TMJ disorders can definitely cause arthritis in high risk patients. As such, you should never ignore the condition once you feel any type of pain in the ear area. Prompt diagnosis would spare you prolonged discomfort of the condition.