TMJ: Something to chew on…
December 8, 2008
Do you wake up in the mornings with headaches, sore teeth or a sore jaw? Neck and shoulder pain?
If so, you may be clenching and grinding your teeth at night while you are asleep. It is estimated that over 95% of people experience this uncontrollable habit at some point in their lives. Teeth grinding may be caused by stress, or sleep disorders, and abnormal bite, crooked or missing teeth.
These habits can escalate into serious pain and problems of the temporomandibular joint, or the TMJ, which joins the lower jaw to the skull. TMj disorders can mimic migraine headaches, earaches, sinus infections and tooth abscesses. It can cause dizziness, ringing in the ears and muscle pain that radiates down the neck and shoulders. [Read more]
