What is TMJ?
TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint – the complex joint that connects your jaw to your skull. You have one TMJ on each side of your face, just in front of your ears.
The TMJ plays a crucial role in everyday functions like speaking, chewing, yawning and swallowing. It’s in near-constant use. When this joint becomes inflamed, painful, or stops functioning properly, it can lead to a condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), often simply referred to as TMJ disorder.
TMJ symptoms: How do you know if you have it?
TMJ disorders can involve a jaw-dropping range of symptoms, including:
- Jaw pain or stiffness (especially around the ears)
- Clicking, popping, or grinding noises when moving the jaw
- Headaches (often tension-type or migraine-like)
- Facial pain or pressure
- Earache, fullness, or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Limited mouth opening or locking
- Pain while chewing or talking
- Neck and shoulder tension.
TMJ disorder often mimics other conditions. And TMJ pain can be hard to describe, particularly if you’re not familiar with the joint. Many people first describe it as ear pain and end up with a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist when they really need a proper assessment from a clinician with training and experience in managing TMJ disorders.
What causes TMJ disorders?
Often, there’s no single cause of TMJ disorders. Instead, they’re influenced by a range of factors, which can include:
- Teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism)
- Stress, anxiety and depression or sleep disorders, which can trigger muscle tension and teeth grinding
- Poor posture, particularly forward head posture (tech neck)
- Jaw trauma or dental procedures
- Arthritis affecting the jaw joint.
Because TMJ usually has more than one cause, you usually need more than one treatment approach. That’s why we develop a comprehensive, tailored treatment protocol for each patient.
TMJ treatment options
At TMJ Clinics, we use a holistic, multi-disciplinary treatment approach. Our aim is to reduce pain, restore function, and avoid surgery whenever possible.
A multi-disciplinary approach with a multitude of benefits
Our TMJ treatments include:
- Custom TMJ splints designed to reduce pressure on the jaw joint and relax overactive muscles
- TMJ physiotherapy to help improve joint movement, relieve muscle tension, and correct posture
- Injections to relax enlarged jaw muscles and reduce clenching
- Dry needling, which targets deep muscle pain and promotes healing.
All care is delivered through our TMJ Clinics’ collaborative multidisciplinary team. We also work alongside any other healthcare providers involved in your care, such as your psychologist, GP or dentist.
Do you need help for TMJ disorder?
If you’ve been living with persistent jaw pain, clicking, earache or headaches, it’s time to consider a referral to a TMJ clinic.
TMJ Clinics is Australia’s leading provider of TMJ diagnosis and treatment, combining multidisciplinary clinical experience and patient-first care.