The temporomandibular joint (TM joint) is a hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull. The TM joint allows you to move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can chew, talk, and yawn. Issues with your jaw and the muscles in your face that control it are known as temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Symptoms of TMD

TMD often causes severe pain and discomfort. TMD can be temporary or last for many years. It may affect one or both sides of your face. More women than men have it, and it’s more common among people between the ages of 20 and 40.

Common symptoms include:

• Tenderness or pain or in the jaw, face, shoulders and neck, and in or around the ear when you speak, chew or open your mouth wide
• Difficulty opening your mouth wide
• Jaws that get "locked" or "stuck" in the open or closed-mouth position
• Popping, clicking, or grating sounds in the jaw joint when you open or close your mouth or chew. This may or may not be painful.
• Problems chewing or a sudden uncomfortable bite- as if the upper and lower teeth are not fitting together properly
• Swelling on the side of your face
• Headaches, toothaches, and neck aches
• Dizziness
• Hearing problems, earaches and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
• Upper shoulder pain

Treatments for TMD

Myofascial pain Dysfunction is a chronic pain disorder, in which pressure on sensitive points in your muscles causes pain in the facial muscle, and sometimes in seemingly unrelated parts of your body. Prof. Hendricks uses conservative therapies such as medications, trigger point injections or physical therapy to treat Myofascial Pain Dysfunction.

Internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a disruption of the TMJ, where there is a displacement of the jaw disc. A common symptom in internal derangement is experiencing a jaw popping sensation or jaw clicking every time you chew, talk or yawn. Prof. Hendricks uses arthrocentesis, a minimally invasive procedure to treat internal derangement.

Arthrocentesis involves inserting small needles into the joint so excess fluid can be irrigated through the joint to remove debris and inflammatory byproducts.

The temporalis muscle flap is a versatile and reliable myofascial regional flap that can be used for the reconstruction of many craniofacial defects due to its close vicinity to the orbit, oral cavity, and anterior and lateral skull base.

Alloplastic is an artificial material used to replace jaw joints. Alloplastic joint surgery involves replacing the joints between the lower jaw and the base of the skull with custom-made prosthetic joints.

The costochondral joints are the joints between the ribs and the cartilage in the front of the rib cage. Prof. Hendricks may conduct a graft by taking some of the costochondral joints to replace the affected TMD joint.