Looking after your TMJ in Kingston-upon-Thames

It probably true to say most of us go through the average day in Kingston-upon-Thames, talking and chewing and biting on some level. If we get stressed, some of us may even resort to grinding our teeth and all these functions rely on the temporomandibular joint or the TMJ; it’s where the bottom jaw is attached to the upper jaw through two little joints, cartilage and muscles. This area has to take a lot of forces everyday, so what it doesn’t need are extra stresses being placed upon it. This is where the work of your dentist comes in, to protect the bite of the mouth using braces, aligners, mouth-guards, bridges and dentures, all designed to ensure the teeth come together correctly to remove any extra pressure from the TMJ, otherwise the jaw can become suceptible to TMJ syndrome; this is where the joints become worn and damaged. Signs of this are clicking when moving the jaw, constant ear and headaches and pain in the upper back that if allowed to continue unchecked, could call for surgery to correct. People who play contact sports need to be doubly careful, and wear the best mouth-guards to protect the mouth and jaw from damage; those who grind their teeth are also at risk as this is considered to be one of the prime causes of the breakdown in the TMJ.