How is TMD Diagnosed?

People with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) usually have more than one sign or symptom. If you have TMD, you may have one or more of the following:

• Painful popping, clicking or grating sounds as the jaw moves
• Trouble opening, opening as wide and/or shutting your mouth
• Jaw stiffness, weakness or catching/locking in certain positions
• Jaw aches and pain
• Pain in other areas because there are a number of nerves and muscles around the TMJ.
  • Ear aches
  • Headaches
  • Toothaches
  • Neck and shoulder pain
• Other ear-related symptoms such as stuffy ears, hearing loss, dizziness and problems with balance
• Cracked and/or worn down teeth. (Although this is not caused by TMD, it is a sign of clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth)
• Swelling in the jaw
• Muscle pain, tightness, spasm and tenderness.

Diagnosis

What we look for during our examination. We will ask if you have any of the following:

• Jaw pain
• Ear pain or stuffiness
• Headache
• Injuries to the jaw, head and/or neck
• Locking or catching of the jaws
• Neck ache
• Noises in your jaw
• Past TMD or orofacial pain treatment

During a dental exam, we will:

• Compare both sides of the jaw, face and head for symmetry
• Feel the TMJs, jaw bones and head and neck muscles to find painful areas
• Inspect the gums, mouth tissue and teeth for disease and excessive tooth wear from clenching or grinding (bruxism)
• Look for  aberrant motions during jaw opening
• Listen for joint noises
• Measure how wide you can open your jaw and check side-to-side movements

•  Note details about all jaw, head and neck symptoms
• An extended medical, dental, personal and family history
• Complete physical exam of your jaw joints and muscles; nerves, bones and in the head and neck; and teeth, gums and soft tissues
• Psychological evaluation
• X-rays and diagnostic imaging,  blood and urine tests, neurological tests (cranial nerve screening) and diagnostic injections

Treating and managing TMD is not routinely taught in many dental schools, as it is not mandated by the American Dental Association to be included in the curriculum. There are, however, ADA-accredited post graduate programs that train dentists in treating TMD. Due to this lack of adequate training in most dental schools, you should see a dentist who is has special training in this area.

Dr. Markman is recognized as the leading authority TMD in the greater New Jersey and New York area, and is happy to discuss the problems you may be having.  Get in touch with Dr. Markman for a complete TMD diagnosis and treatment plan.