The temporomandibular joint or TMJ is essentially the joint that allows your mouth to move. The TMJ is a hinge joint that makes possible the jaw (mandible) to swing open and closed. The TMJ is unique because it is a joint with movable padding inside called a disc. TMJ location is in the upper part of the mouth in a facial bone called the maxilla. It is probably the most often used bone in the human body, and there are two of them: one located on either side of the face just in front of the ear.

These complex TMJ structures we have just described make it possible for the jaw to literally dislocate, down and anterior, to allow large objects to pass into oral cavity. The acts of opening and closing, chewing, biting and tearing are possible because of the many muscles, tendons and ligaments that play an integral part in each movement. There is also large amount of neurological tissue in and around the joint, the muscles, tendons and ligaments. The location and position of the TMJ can give rise to a number symptoms and conditions which may be and many times are painful.

Issues with the TMJ can affect or many time be affected by the bones and muscle of the neck. This accounts for favorable results that chiropractor have had working with TMJ related problems. The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) recommends that a diagnosis of TMJD or related orofacial pain conditions should be based primarily on information obtained from the patient’s history and a clinical examination of the head and neck.

The Journal of Oral Rehabilitation wrote that patients with internal derangement of the TMJ were significantly associated with cervical spine disorders without the presence of subjective neck complaints (90% vs 10%). They recommended examination of the cervical spine even without cervical complaints. These findings were supported by Cranio and Clinical Oral Investigation as well.

Possible TMJ injury incidents:

injury to the jaw
injury to either TMJ
injury to the head muscles
injury to the neck muscles
blunt force head trauma
flexion/extension injury
injury to the teeth
clenching of the teeth
translation of the disc

Temporomandibular Joint Pain Video

Here is a presentation found on Youtube on the subject of TMJD. It goes through the mechanics of the TMJD issues and helps to explain them with actual animation. A picture is worth a thousand words, but this is a animated picture. What is that worth? Enjoy the video. We are sure it will help in the educational process on this subject.