Can Jaw Popping Indicate a Problem Aside From TMJ?

If you know anything about dentistry, you will know TMJ is a major issue. It is affecting at the least many thousands of folks all over the world. In the United States, it is exceedingly common, too. TMJ or TMD, which is an acronym for temporomandibular joint disorder, is distinguished by some particular symptoms.

Those symptoms include but aren't restricted to jaw popping, swelling of the neck, difficulty of chewing and biting, difficulty opening and closing the mouth, unexplained earaches and headaches, tangential pain down the shoulders, jaw swelling, and outright jaw agony.

Of those symptoms, jaw popping is one of the most clear cut. Could, though, jaw popping be a sign of a problem other than TMJ? With all things being equal, no. The reason there is a “popping” of the jaw is thanks to a scarcity of alignment with the jaw joint. Some people can pop or click their jaw naturally but they are just an aberration like someone that can purposefully bulge their eyes outward.

All that aside, a good teeth grinding mouth guard can help resolve this.

Jaw Popping & Bruxism Potential Cures

Bruxism is a problem that literally troubles millions around the planet. It is the comatose grinding of one’s teeth while happily asleep. It looks innocuous enough until one considers the by-products of long-term bruxism problems: teeth chipping, loss of teeth, ground down molars, and potential development of TMJ issues.

It's common for one who has bruxism to develop TMJ-like symptoms like clicking jaw, unexplained earaches, unexplained headaches, etc. Clearly, bruxism and TMJ are serious issues. So , what's the cure? Well, see a dentist first.

An expertly trained dentist, or dental helper, can correctly detect a TMJ or bruxism issue. A well-trained dental hygenist diagnosed mine. So, please don’t discount the power of a good guard. It can really help a lot a lot and really should be part of any multi-pronged effort to help resolve it.

The writer is a dentist with over 19 years of expertise. He has detailed experience in clicking jaw, how to stop grinding teeth, TMJ or TMD, and general dentistry. He is most qualified to help with a mouth guard for grinding teeth health issue.