TMJ: What is it?
TMJ, TMD, TMJD, confused?
Sometimes we have common names or phrases for objects that really do not accurately reflect the thing we are trying to describe. When you sneeze do you ask for a ‘facial tissue’ or do you ask for a ‘Kleenex’? If you want dinner ready when you get home do you look for your ‘slow cooker’ or your ‘Crock Pot’? If you get hit in the back of the head by an errant ‘flying disc’ do you bend down and pick up the ‘Frisbee’? Brand names become synonymous with the actual item.
The same naming confusion applies to the syndrome or condition we call TMJ. TMJ has become synonymous with the over-reaching and annoying condition of head, neck and jaw pain. Across the world everyone refers to an actual anatomical structure as a description for a variety of pains and problems. The term TMJ is really just an acronym for the two jaw joints called the ‘Temporo-Mandibular Joints’. There is one on each side of your head, where the lower jaw connects to the skull. We all start life with the potential to have 2 TMJ’s.

Many years ago, the term for pain in and around the jaw joint were called “Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorders” which quickly got shortened to TMJD or just TMJ.
New understanding of true causes of pain and dysfunction of the head, neck and jaws has relegated the TMJ to be at most a casualty and far from a culprit. New research and new perspectives have shown medical and dental doctors that the imbalance of how teeth bite, the imbalance of growth in the physical structures of the head and neck, and the relating physiologic stress are the true root cause of ‘TMJ’ pain.
Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorders are a consequence of multiple factors related to impaired nasal breathing, physical injuries, dental care intrusion, age, and genetics.
While ‘TMJ’ is still the most commonly used term for the dysfunction of the head, neck and teeth, the scope of problems it chronicles are truly multi-factorial in scope with many possible outcomes and symptoms.
Further understanding has led to the connections between where your teeth bite and how your teeth move or function and medical problems such as migraines, neck pain, tension headaches, tinnitus, vertigo, sinus pain, and sleep apnea. As an increasingly more global view of the body is embraced, the interconnectivity of the teeth, jaws, head, neck, spine, hips, legs and feet is more apparent.
Getting Educated: Where is My TMJ?
Find your ears.
Usually there is one on each side of our head. Now about a finger width in front of the ear canal a bump can be felt that moves when you open and close your lower jaw or mandible.
Note: some TMJ’s do not work properly and will not move, as they should when you open your mouth. These are dislocated TMJ’s and usually a sign severe TMJ dysfunction. Call it a cry for help by the jaw joint.
The Temporo-Mandibular Joint is comprised of the ‘Temporo’ part. This is the bone in the skull called the Temporal Bone. It is where we get the word ‘Temple’ as being an area on the side of the head. The temporal bone has a concavity called the ‘Mandibular Fossa’. It is the ‘socket’ part of the TMJ.
The ‘Mandibular’ part of the TMJ is the mandible. It is your lower jaw. There is a bilateral joint (one on each side of the head) and the ‘Condyle’ of the mandible fits within the temporal bone in the mandibular fossa.
The ‘Joint’ part of the TMJ refers the function of the mandible with the skull and all of the ligaments and spaces required to make the mandible move smoothly.

What is the ideal TMJ position?
For the TMJ to function without having or causing stress to itself and surrounding structures, it will nestle without strain within the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone while supported by surrounding joint tissue. When the alignment of the teeth force the TMJ to sit in a strained position, all manners of symptoms can occur including pain, tinnitus, vertigo, ear congestion, limited opening, and limited function. When the alignment of teeth creates TMJ stain, the TMJ can either have malformed development or degeneration and destruction. You simply cannot stress any structural part of the body for a long time without a deleterious consequence.

It all sounds confusing.
We could not agree more. There have been many theories, philosophies, theorems, and guesses on how the structures and tissues of the TMJ, the teeth, the head, the neck, and the body all work. For decades, the ‘separate puzzle piece’ theorem was in favor. This has changed with the reality that we cannot treat any part of the body as if it floated alone in space. Actions create reactions. And the way the body solves the problems of living means these reactions can alter our lives. We have to consider our actions carefully.
Physiology … How your body solves problems
The body does anything to survive. Physiology is really how our body solves problems it encounters. The first problem is breathing. Your body will do anything to get its next breath. If your nose is plugged you mouth breath. If the back of your throat area is constricted or narrow, you will stretch your neck out to help open your airway. This can cause structural strain, imbalance, muscle cramping, and pain in your head, your neck, your back, your hips and even your feet. All from switching from nasal breathing to mouth breathing.

I thought that ‘TMJ’ was only pain in the jaw joint.
There are so many complications related to the way we breathe, bite and balance that when you do the math (and it is possible to do the math) there are more ways a person can express their physiologic compromise that there are stars in the sky.

All the stars in the heavens
The number of signs and symptoms related to a malocclusion or bad bite can easily run up to 46 expressions of problem. Add variations in timing of symptoms (chronicity) and varying pain from symptoms (severity) you end up with options found by multiplying 46 x 45 x 44 x 43 … etc.
This gives you a number that is very big. This is roughly 8.16 X1047. There are an estimated 4.0 X 1011 stars in the Milky Way (our home galaxy). Isn’t math fun?
So there are many ways that a simple reaction to nasal breathing or an injury to your body, or even a new filling on a tooth that touches too soon, can be expressed.

Quality TMJ Education Programs
In every field of healthcare, new courses and programs are developed constantly to help both physicians and patients expand their knowledge. This helps the two groups collaborate together to diagnose issues quicker and implement successful corrective action. From TMJ 101 to advanced concepts, getting the right education is important. It can be easy to browse the internet and get information from any source, but this can sometimes result in more confusion. TMJ – What is it? It’s a condition that can be treated easily by applying the right methods under appropriate conditions with trained professionals. Getting educated in a proper manner with correct materials is the first step to tackling this issue.
TMJ.Today provides one, two, and three week courses to help patients and dental practitioners alike understand TMJ-related conditions. Click here to find out more about enrolling in these courses today!
Find a TMJ practitioner in your area.
No matter where you are we can help you. We have TMJ Practitioners throughout North America.