TMJ, short for Temporomandibular Joint, is a hinge joint that connects the back of the jaw to the temporal bone of the skull just in front of each ear. This joint along with the surrounding soft tissues of muscles and ligaments aids in the ability to open and close the jaw during talking, chewing, and yawning. It is a very important joint that gets a lot of work throughout the day.
When this joint becomes misaligned from sleeping on one side at night too long, injury, sometimes after dental work under anesthesia, the result can often be popping or clicking when opening the jaw. Eventually this improper motion can lead to pain around the joint, jaw-locking, or even headaches.
One of the areas that Dr. McMillen specialize in during his internship with Dr. Mitch Mally, the Nationally known extremity expert was the jaw. In fact, Dr. McMillen has treated 100's of people with TMJ problem who were scheduled for surgery. Because of the work with Dr. Mally, Dr. McMillen is specially trained in relieving the pain from TMJ syndrome without the use of night splints or surgery.
Adjustments are often done by hand and with tools to these joints making sure that proper alignment is achieved. Many times, the surrounding muscles have associated trigger points due to the lack of coordination with the rest of the facial muscles. These points can be very tender to the touch and even cause radiating pain to the temple regions creating headaches.
In addition to adjustments to accurately re-position the jaw, we specialize in soft-tissue techniques that can allow these taught muscles to relax. It’s also important to check the upper neck vertebra to make sure that all the joints are maintaining proper function because stressed placed on these joints (especially with poor posture) can restrict the jaws ability to open and close correctly.
In fact, if there is a misalignment in the neck region, TMJ can not be resolved withouot correcting those misalignments as well. The combination of correcting the misalignments and the the TMJ dysfunction, patients can obtain tremendous relief from TMJ pain at fraction of the cost. After all, we need a happy, pain free and healthy smile to go throughout our day.