What is TMD/TMJD/TMJ?
The Happy Tooth has a great, detailed breakdown of exactly what "TMJ" is and what causes it.
-The correct term for "TMJ" is actually TMD. It refers to tempromandibular disorder. It's also called TMJD in some circles (I mean, you guys know how tight those medical nomenclature circles are.) which stands for tempromandibular joint disorder. It's most commonly called TMJ for short.
The three different acronyms are often conflated. This causes many people to believe there are three different disorders, when really it's one disorder with multiple causes, symptoms and severities and three interchangeable acronyms.
This is just one of many reasons why so many of us who have TMD end up lost and confused when searching for info. Because of the confusion, you'll regularly see me refer to it via all three acronyms in the hopes of catching the attention of sufferers using any given name.
-The short version is that your tempromandibular joints aren't working as nature intended, usually due to the clenching or grinding of teeth while you sleep. For a better understanding of exactly how this works, you can search Google images for "tmj". Just be prepared to cringe your way through your education, because medical pictures...eeesh. amirite?
There are many reasons your tempromandibular joints may not be behaving themselves. You really need a doctor to diagnose the problem. Even if you self-diagnose and you are correct, you still might be suffering all kinds of damage if you aren't getting professional medical treatment.
-Just like anything else in the body, one undiagnosed or untreated problem can lead to another. I've had bone loss, cartilage loss, pinched nerves, arthritis, migraines, facial swelling and muscle problems in my head, neck and back because it took me so long to get the correct treatment.
But hey, your consolation prize is knowing the song "Dem Bones" turned out to be pretty accurate. So there's a day of kindergarten not wasted! (Plus there was that time you got to eat paste. So...bonus.)
-The correct term for "TMJ" is actually TMD. It refers to tempromandibular disorder. It's also called TMJD in some circles (I mean, you guys know how tight those medical nomenclature circles are.) which stands for tempromandibular joint disorder. It's most commonly called TMJ for short.
The three different acronyms are often conflated. This causes many people to believe there are three different disorders, when really it's one disorder with multiple causes, symptoms and severities and three interchangeable acronyms.
This is just one of many reasons why so many of us who have TMD end up lost and confused when searching for info. Because of the confusion, you'll regularly see me refer to it via all three acronyms in the hopes of catching the attention of sufferers using any given name.
-The short version is that your tempromandibular joints aren't working as nature intended, usually due to the clenching or grinding of teeth while you sleep. For a better understanding of exactly how this works, you can search Google images for "tmj". Just be prepared to cringe your way through your education, because medical pictures...eeesh. amirite?
There are many reasons your tempromandibular joints may not be behaving themselves. You really need a doctor to diagnose the problem. Even if you self-diagnose and you are correct, you still might be suffering all kinds of damage if you aren't getting professional medical treatment.
-Just like anything else in the body, one undiagnosed or untreated problem can lead to another. I've had bone loss, cartilage loss, pinched nerves, arthritis, migraines, facial swelling and muscle problems in my head, neck and back because it took me so long to get the correct treatment.
But hey, your consolation prize is knowing the song "Dem Bones" turned out to be pretty accurate. So there's a day of kindergarten not wasted! (Plus there was that time you got to eat paste. So...bonus.)
"But I can't complain."
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