The Temporo Mandibular Joint (TMJ) is the medical name given to the jaw joint. It is made up of the lower jaw which articulates against a disc in the cup shaped depression of the skull by the ear. If the lower jaw is displaced it can cause the disc to come away from its correct position and dislocate, causing a clicking and grating noise when the mouth opens.

When the TMJ dislocates it can cause symptoms of headaches, migraines, neckache, tinnitus, fatigue and pain to name but a few. Patients will often grind their teeth at night, have difficulty opening wide, click or grate in the TMJ when opening and have some pain in the joint area itself in front of the ear.

The diagnosis is crucial in understanding and treating the problem. The full examination will involve, muscle testing, ranges of motion, analysis, X-rays and possibly Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Treatment can involve wearing splints and braces on the teeth to realign the jaw into its correct position. In the majority of cases this eliminates all of the symptoms, especially the headaches and migraines.

Some of the numerous and varied symptoms which can occur are listed below:

• Headaches / Migraines
• Jaw joint clicking or grating
• Jaw clenching and Bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Sleep Apnoea
• Atypical Facial Pain & neuralgias
• Facial muscle aches and tics
• Neck and Shoulder Pain
• Ear pain, tinnitus, hearing loss

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