When first studied, scientists believed that TMJ was caused by dental malocclusion, the fancy name for misaligned upper and lower teeth that affected jaw movement. That led to treatments that called for replacing missing teeth and using braces to change how the jaw moved.

Further studies revealed that malocclusion was not the cause of facial pain and other TMJ symptoms. Today, although there’s still no definitive research, it is widely believed that TMJ results from a host of symptoms that work in some mysterious conflict. These causes include behavioral, environmental, emotional, cognitive and social factors, all combining to create temporomandibular disorders. The one thing most research scientists agree on is there is no single cause of TMJ.

The mechanics of TMJ are traced to developmental or congenital abnormalities of the jaw, the movement of the shock-absorbing disc in the jaw bone, arthritis or other inflammation that affects the jaw, any major injury to the jaw area, infections, tumors, and a slack jaw or excessive tightness. You can even blame opening your mouth too wide for causing the symptoms, researchers say.

TMJ Complaints

The most common complaint generated by TMJ sufferers is myofascial pain disorder, which afflicts the chewing muscles. This is described as a dull pain that originates around the ear and sometimes travels to the side or back of the head, or may be experienced further down the neck. Patients with this variation of TMJ complain of difficulty opening or closing their mouth, have achy jaw muscles, and claim to hear clicking or popping sounds in their jaw. When they chew or yawn, the pain becomes worse.

While modern medicine offers no real cure, physicians dealing with the complaint will likely prescribe some mild pain medication and inquire about patient habits that may cause TMJ symptoms. These can include teeth grinding at night, biting fingernails or lips, jaw clenching, gum chewing, or chomping on a pencil or other hard and unforgiving object. If none of these are blamed, then such psychological factors as depression, anxiety or stress are examined.