JAW JOINT DISEASE, TREATMENT AND OPERATION
The joint between the lower jaw and the mastoid, where the outer ear bone is present, is the jaw joint. Thanks to its special anatomical structure, this joint can perform very complex movements. While eating and chewing, approximately 50 kg. force is applied to the human jaw joint and a force increasing up to 440 kg is reflected on the jaw joint in people, who are grinding and clenching their teeth. Although jaw joint disease is more commonly seen in young people experiencing stress during the examination periods, those who have psychological problems, those who have a history of teeth grinding, those who are traumatized, and those with the muscle nerve disease are also candidates for this disease.
The first symptom of the jaw joint disease is the sound during eating or stretching. Generally, jaw joint pain is accompanied by this and movement restriction in the jaw is observed in more advanced situations.
In the treatment of jaw joint disease, non-operative alternatives should initially be considered, if possible. The patient is directed to physiotherapy, while joint strengthening exercises are prescribed, and muscle relaxant-painkillers, which affect through the central nervous system, are preferred. For those with a history of teeth grinding during sleep, it is recommended to use the splints placed between the teeth while sleeping at night. This reduces the load on the joint in people who overload the jaw due to tooth grinding. Anxiety and depression are common in people with jaw joint discomfort, and psychiatric consultation may be required, when necessary.
Surgical intervention is the procedure to be performed in people, who do not benefit from all these protective approaches or who have advanced deformation of the joint disc in the initial examination. In surgical procedures, joint washing and lubrication in the inner part of the joint are performed in the initial stage of deformation of the joint disc. In cases, where the joint disc is severely deformed, the joint is required to be opened and fixed to the place where the disc should be. In joint-bone pathologies apart from that, a surgical intervention targeting the cause is planned.
Surgical intervention is usually required in one-fifth of patients. Post-operative physiotherapy is an indispensable part of the healing following the operation.
Originally posted 2018-11-19 14:03:39.