Are temporomandibular disorders (TMD) treated with orthodontic treatment?
A. Disorders of the temporomandibular joints, which connect the lower jaw to the skull, may be one of the reasons millions of people suffer from chronic headache, earache and facial pain. No other joints are subject to such precise functioning as those involved in the meeting and biting of teeth. Symptoms frequently associated with this problem include popping, clicking or grinding noises of the jaw joints when eating or opening the mouth; soreness and limitation of opening the mouth; headaches; stiffness of the neck and shoulders; and ringing of the ears. The bizarre and seemingly unrelated combination of symptoms, however, makes diagnosis difficult for both medical and dental practitioners because many other diseases can cause similar symptoms. Temporomandibular disorders can arise from a variety of causes. For this reason, treatment of TMD may include a variety of procedures performed by the dentist and/or other health professional such as neurologists, chiropractors, physiotherapis
