Jaw Pain Shouldn't Be Something You Just Learn to Live With
Jaw pain, painful clicking, difficulty chewing, headaches, or changes in how your bite feels can sometimes be related to a temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Finding the right treatment starts with understanding what is contributing to the problem.
At Nova Implant Family Dentistry, Dr. E. Richard Hughes evaluates the jaw joints, muscles, teeth, bite, and dental history to help determine whether a dental or bite-related problem may be contributing to your symptoms.
TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joint itself. TMD describes disorders involving the jaw joint, associated muscles, and related structures. Patients commonly use “TMJ” to describe both.
What Is TMJ Disorder?
Your temporomandibular joints connect your lower jaw to your skull and allow the complex movements needed to speak, chew, yawn, and open and close your mouth.
When patients say they “have TMJ,” they are usually referring to a problem involving this system. More precisely, TMJ is the joint itself, while TMD (temporomandibular disorder) is the term used for disorders affecting the jaw joints, chewing muscles, and related structures.
The Jaw Is a Working System
The temporomandibular joints do not work independently. Jaw movement involves the joints, muscles, teeth, and the way the upper and lower teeth come together. Because several structures are involved, similar symptoms can sometimes have different underlying causes.
Not Every Click Means You Have a Disorder
Jaw noises such as clicking or popping can occur without significant pain or loss of function. A sound alone does not necessarily mean treatment is needed. Pain, tenderness, restricted movement, locking, difficulty chewing, or other functional changes make evaluation more important.
The Cause Matters
Jaw discomfort can involve the joint itself, the surrounding muscles, clenching or grinding, the teeth and bite, injury, or a combination of factors. That is why treatment should follow an evaluation rather than assuming every patient with jaw pain needs the same appliance or procedure.
The objective is not simply to treat a symptom. Dr. Hughes evaluates the dental and functional factors that may be contributing to the problem so treatment can be directed toward the individual patient's needs.
When Should You Have Your Jaw Evaluated?
TMD can present differently from one patient to another. Symptoms may involve the jaw joints, chewing muscles, teeth, face, or the way the jaw moves and functions.
An evaluation may be appropriate when symptoms are painful, persistent, recurring, interfere with eating or normal jaw movement, or are accompanied by noticeable changes in your teeth or bite.
Jaw Pain or Tenderness
Pain or soreness may be felt around the jaw joint, along the jaw muscles, or in the surrounding facial area.
Painful Clicking or Popping
Joint sounds can occur without a disorder, but clicking or popping accompanied by pain, tenderness, or changes in movement deserves closer evaluation.
Difficulty Opening or Closing
Limited movement, stiffness, or a jaw that catches or locks can interfere with speaking, yawning, and eating normally.
Pain or Difficulty While Chewing
Discomfort during chewing or changes in the way the teeth come together may indicate a problem that should be examined.
Headaches or Facial Discomfort
Some patients with TMD experience discomfort involving the temples, face, or chewing muscles. Because headaches can have many causes, they should not automatically be attributed to the jaw.
Clenching, Grinding & Tooth Wear
Frequent clenching or grinding can place substantial forces on the teeth and jaw system and may be associated with worn, chipped, cracked, or sensitive teeth.
Jaw pain can have more than one possible cause.
Symptoms such as headaches, facial pain, ear-area discomfort, and jaw noises are not unique to TMD. Dr. Hughes evaluates the dental and functional picture and, when symptoms suggest a problem outside the scope of dental treatment, may recommend evaluation by another healthcare provider.
TMJ Problems Can Have More Than One Cause
Dr. E. Richard Hughes describes TMJ disorder as a broad category of problems that can affect patients very differently. The first step is understanding what may be contributing to the symptoms before deciding how—or whether—the problem should be treated dentally.
Diagnose the problem. Start conservatively. Treat what's appropriate.
Dr. Hughes explains that TMJ problems may be related to anatomy, previous trauma, clenching or grinding, or the relationship between the upper and lower teeth. Depending on the individual problem, treatment may include conservative measures such as an oral splint or bite guard and, in appropriate cases, addressing how the teeth come together.
TMJ considerations can also become part of larger restorative treatment when damaged teeth, crowns, fillings, or full-mouth rehabilitation are involved. When additional diagnostic information is needed, Dr. Hughes has access to CAT scan imaging in the office.
If I can't treat you, I'll find someone that can treat you.— Dr. E. Richard Hughes
The goal is appropriate care—not forcing every TMJ problem into the same treatment.
Schedule a TMJ Evaluation →How Dr. Hughes Evaluates TMJ Problems
Similar symptoms do not always have the same cause. Dr. Hughes looks beyond the location of the pain to understand the dental, functional, and historical factors that may be contributing to the problem.
A bite guard, restorative treatment, or another dental intervention may be appropriate for one patient and not another. The evaluation helps determine whether—and how— dentistry fits into the solution.
How the Jaw Is Functioning
The evaluation considers the temporomandibular joints, surrounding structures, jaw movement, and the location and character of the patient's symptoms.
Trauma, Changes & Previous Treatment
Previous trauma and changes involving the teeth or jaw can provide important context. Dr. Hughes considers the history of the problem rather than evaluating the current symptom in isolation.
Forces on the Teeth and Jaw
Clenching and grinding can place significant forces on the teeth, muscles, and jaw system. Signs of wear or damage can help provide additional information about how those forces may be affecting the patient.
How the Upper and Lower Teeth Meet
Dr. Hughes evaluates the relationship between the upper and lower teeth and considers whether the way the teeth come together may be relevant to the patient's symptoms or restorative needs.
The Condition of the Entire Dental System
Worn or damaged teeth, existing restorations, crowns, and fillings can become part of the evaluation when TMJ concerns overlap with larger restorative needs.
On-Site CAT Scan Imaging
Dr. Hughes has CAT scan imaging available in the office when additional diagnostic information is appropriate. Imaging is not automatically necessary for every patient; it can be used when the clinical situation calls for a closer look.
How Is TMJ Disorder Treated?
There is no single treatment that is appropriate for every patient with TMJ symptoms. Treatment depends on what Dr. Hughes finds during the evaluation, how the jaw is functioning, the condition of the teeth and bite, and whether the problem is appropriate for dental treatment.
Oral Splints & Bite Guards
For some patients, an oral appliance may be used as part of conservative TMJ treatment.
Dr. Hughes discusses splints and bite guards as one option for managing certain TMJ problems. An appliance may be appropriate when clenching, grinding, or forces involving the teeth and jaw are contributing to the patient's condition.
The important distinction is that an appliance is selected for the individual patient. The presence of jaw pain alone does not automatically mean that everyone needs the same type of night guard or splint.
The goal isn't to sell every patient a TMJ treatment.
The goal is to determine what is contributing to the problem and choose an appropriate response. Sometimes that involves conservative dental treatment. Sometimes TMJ considerations are part of a larger restorative plan. And sometimes the right decision is referral to another provider.
Schedule an Evaluation →What Does Teeth Grinding Have to Do With TMJ?
Clenching and grinding—also called bruxism—can place substantial forces on the teeth and jaw system. For some patients, those forces are an important part of the TMJ evaluation.
Dr. Hughes specifically considers grinding and clenching among the possible factors involved in TMJ problems. He also evaluates how the upper and lower teeth relate to one another and whether the patient's bite or restorative condition is relevant to the larger problem.
That does not mean every patient who grinds their teeth has TMD—or that every TMJ problem is caused by the bite. It means these factors should be considered as part of the complete clinical picture.
The jaw joints, chewing muscles, teeth, restorations, and bite function together. When symptoms overlap with dental damage, treating only one part of that system may not address the patient's complete restorative needs.
Signs of Excessive Forces on the Teeth
Worn Tooth Surfaces
Repeated grinding can gradually wear away tooth structure and change the shape or height of the teeth.
Chipped or Fractured Teeth
Heavy forces can contribute to damaged tooth structure and may also place stress on existing dental restorations.
Changes in the Bite
Tooth wear, missing teeth, existing dental work, and other restorative changes can affect the relationship between the upper and lower teeth.
Muscle or Jaw Soreness
Patients who clench or grind may experience tired or tender chewing muscles, particularly when excessive forces occur repeatedly.
Damage to Existing Dental Work
Crowns, fillings, and other restorations are also exposed to biting and grinding forces and should be considered during a comprehensive evaluation.
TMJ Treatment and Restorative Dentistry Can Overlap
Dr. Hughes explains that TMJ considerations can become part of restorative dentistry involving fillings, crowns, or a larger full-mouth rehabilitation. When teeth have already been significantly worn or damaged, the goal is not simply to replace tooth structure. The way the restored teeth function together also has to be considered.
A Broader View of the Jaw, Bite & Teeth
TMJ symptoms do not always fit neatly into one diagnosis or one treatment. Dr. E. Richard Hughes approaches these problems from the perspective of a dentist who has spent more than 30 years evaluating how teeth, restorations, bite, and jaw function work together.
That becomes particularly important when jaw symptoms occur alongside grinding, damaged teeth, extensive dental work, or changes in the way the teeth come together.
Dr. Hughes has experienced TMJ pain himself.
He recalls experiencing sharp TMJ-related pain in his early twenties. Although his own problem ultimately resolved, the experience gave him firsthand perspective on how disruptive jaw-joint pain can feel to a patient.
He Doesn't Start With a Preset Treatment
Dr. Hughes considers possible contributors such as anatomy, trauma, grinding and clenching, the teeth, and the relationship between the upper and lower bite before determining whether a dental treatment may be appropriate.
TMJ Is Considered Alongside the Teeth
When patients also have worn teeth, damaged restorations, crowns, fillings, or larger restorative needs, Dr. Hughes can evaluate those issues as part of the same functional dental system.
On-Site CAT Scan Imaging When Indicated
When additional diagnostic information is appropriate, Dr. Hughes has access to CAT scan imaging within the practice rather than assuming advanced imaging is necessary for every patient.
Not Every TMJ Problem Belongs in a Dental Chair
One of the most important parts of Dr. Hughes's approach is recognizing the limits of dental treatment. If he determines that he is not the appropriate provider for a patient's particular problem, he will help direct that patient to someone who can provide the care they need.
If I can't treat you, I'll find someone that can treat you.— Dr. E. Richard Hughes
If jaw pain, grinding, bite changes, or difficulty using your jaw are affecting your daily life, the first step is determining what may be causing the problem.
Schedule a TMJ EvaluationQuestions About TMJ & TMD
Jaw pain and TMJ symptoms can be confusing because the same symptom can have different causes. These are some of the questions patients commonly have about TMD, teeth grinding, bite guards, and when to seek an evaluation.
What is the difference between TMJ and TMD?
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull. TMD stands for temporomandibular disorder and refers to disorders involving the jaw joint, chewing muscles, and related structures. Patients commonly use the term “TMJ” when referring to symptoms or disorders involving this area.
Does clicking or popping in my jaw mean I have TMD?
Not necessarily. Jaw clicking or popping can occur without significant pain or loss of function. Evaluation becomes more important when joint sounds are accompanied by pain, tenderness, limited movement, locking, difficulty chewing, or other changes in normal jaw function.
Can teeth grinding or clenching contribute to TMJ symptoms?
Grinding and clenching can place substantial forces on the teeth, chewing muscles, and jaw system. Dr. Hughes considers bruxism among the possible contributing factors when evaluating a patient with TMJ symptoms. However, grinding does not explain every case of TMD, which is why an individualized evaluation is important.
Will a night guard or oral splint help my TMJ pain?
An oral splint or bite guard may be appropriate for some patients, particularly when clenching, grinding, or forces involving the teeth and jaw are relevant to the problem. Dr. Hughes does not assume that every patient with jaw pain needs the same appliance. The appropriate treatment depends on what is contributing to the patient's symptoms.
Can TMJ problems cause headaches?
Some patients with TMD experience discomfort involving the temples, face, or chewing muscles and may also report headaches. However, headaches have many possible causes and should not automatically be attributed to a TMJ disorder. Symptoms that may not be dental in origin can require evaluation by another healthcare provider.
Can my bite affect TMJ symptoms?
Dr. Hughes considers the relationship between the upper and lower teeth as one possible factor during a TMJ evaluation. Depending on the individual case, the way the teeth come together may be relevant to treatment. That does not mean that every TMD problem is caused by a patient's bite.
Can worn or damaged teeth be related to grinding?
Yes. Repeated grinding can contribute to tooth wear, and heavy forces may also be associated with chipped or damaged teeth and stress on existing restorations. When significant dental damage is already present, Dr. Hughes can evaluate the teeth, restorations, bite, and jaw function together when developing a treatment plan.
Do I need a CAT scan for TMJ symptoms?
Not every patient with TMJ symptoms requires advanced imaging. Dr. Hughes has CAT scan imaging available in the office when additional diagnostic information is appropriate. Whether imaging is recommended depends on the individual clinical situation.
What happens if my TMJ problem requires a specialist?
Dr. Hughes recognizes that not every jaw or facial pain condition is appropriately treated through dentistry alone. If he determines that your particular problem requires care beyond what he can appropriately provide, he can help direct you to another qualified healthcare provider.
When should I see a dentist about jaw pain?
Consider an evaluation when jaw pain is persistent or recurring, interferes with chewing or normal jaw movement, is accompanied by locking or limited opening, or occurs alongside grinding, significant tooth wear, damaged teeth, or changes in the way your bite feels. An evaluation can help determine whether a dental issue may be contributing to the problem.
