What Causes TMJ Disorder?

Good dental health care entails more than ensuring that your teeth and gums remain disease-free. It also involves understanding and addressing issues that can inhibit your mouth’s proper function. For instance, TMJ disorder affects the joints and muscles that move your jaw, and its symptoms can include a variety of discomfort, including jaw pain and chronic headaches. Today, we explore the potential causes of TMJ disorder, which can be as diverse as its wide range of symptoms, and why determining the source of your pain is a vital step to finding relief.

Prolonged Stress

Excessive stress has long been associated with a host of systemic issues, including an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. However, not many people associate stress with their oral health, which is unfortunate considering the influence that stress can have on your smile. One of these influences is the formation of TMJ disorder, which involves often-debilitating discomfort in your jaw, face, head, neck, and shoulders.

Malocclusion

Aside from excessive stress levels, one of the most common causes of TMJ disorder is an imbalanced bite. Crooked teeth, or malocclusion, can disturb the pressure displacement of your bite, forcing your jaw to work harder to maintain harmony when you bite and chew. The disturbance and increased pressure can be a significant contributor to jaw-joint damage and TMJ disorder, and straightening crooked teeth can often help relieve chronic jaw pain.

Bad Dental Habits

When it comes to your smile, it’s often the little things that count the most. Small habits that you may not even realize you engage in can prove detrimental to your oral health, such as chewing on pens and pencils and habitually grinding your teeth (bruxism). The pressure from constantly tensing your jaw muscles can damage your joints, and the friction can wear down the chewing surfaces of your teeth. As your teeth wear down and your bite changes, your jaw joints can suffer damage from the imbalance.

Learn More About Addressing the Causes of TMJ Disorder

If you suffer from chronic jaw and TMJ pain, then finding relief may rely on first diagnosing its cause. To schedule a consultation with your dentist, call Dr. Newman’s office today at 520-296-5439. We’re conveniently located inside the Grant Road Professional Plaza in Tucson, AZ, and proudly welcome the residents of all surrounding communities.