What Is TMD?

TMD stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders.

Our Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) acts like a sliding hinge that connects our jawbone to our skull.

Surrounding the jawbone, we have connective tissues, muscles and nerves, that allows us to open/close our mouths, and move them from side to side. The normal function of our jaws includes eating & talking and anything else is considered a parafunction.

Parafunction means it is an abnormal function and can include things such as:

• Nail biting
• Ice chewing
• Thumb sucking
• Clenching
• Teeth grinding

Just like any other muscle in our body, by overusing them, it can lead to aches and pains and other symptoms. Unfortunately a lot of the symptoms can resonate around our body, which makes it harder for a proper diagnosis. For example, if you suffer with lower back pain and are having treatment on the afflicted areas. If it is not the root cause of the issue, the pain will keep coming back.

When it comes to nail biting, chewing pen tops, thumbsucking etc, these bad habits can be stopped a lot easier than clenching or grinding our teeth. This is because, most people who clench or grind, are not even aware it is happening!

It can happen in your sleep, causing you to wake up feeling as if you hadn’t had the best nights sleep and you may suffer with a variety of symptoms as a result. It can also happen during the day (without you realising). Especially if you are in a stressful situation, the likelihood of clenching/grinding is increased.

An average person will have their teeth in contact with each other for about 4 minutes a day. For someone who clenches or grinds, their teeth can be in contact for hours, which is where the problem stems from.

TMD is an area of dentistry that hasn’t advanced as much as other areas (orthodontics, cosmetic, implants etc), which is a shame, as a huge percentage of the population suffer daily with a variety of symptoms.

We are pleased to introduce our new product, BruxIT, which has been developed to target the root cause of the clenching/grinding. It is a non-invasive treatment modality, and the worst that can happen, is the device simply doesn’t work. It will not alter the TMJ itself. For the science behind BruxIT please click here. Or if you would like to find out more, please fill out the short form below.