TMD is a disfunction of the jaw joint, often referred to as TMJ. TMJ stands for Temporal Mandibular Joint which is the name of the joint where the lower jaw attaches to our skull, that’s right in front of the ears, and every one has TMJ. TMD stands for Temporal Mandibular Disfunction which I think is a more appropriate acronym and term to use when patients are having issues, having pain, clicking, popping, issues with their bite, or any of the numerous symptoms that go along with TMD. TMJ is an often misused acronym to describe a patient that is having problems because everyone has TMJ. TMD is really the appropriate term to be using when talking about issues with it.
You may be aware if you have TMD, such as clicking and popping of the jaw joint, headaches, pain, issues with grinding their teeth that a spouse might hear, they can see wear on their teeth. However, there are a number of signs and symptoms that oftentimes patients don’t associate with TMD, which is why we offer a free consultation where we can evaluate your specific situation and get to the rout of the problem. If you’re interested in taking advantage of that, please give our office a call at 303-688-2229.
