Where Does TMD Come From
At Eastside Wellness Chiropractic, we commonly find that repetitive movements cause TMD. Examples of repetitive trauma to the chewing gum, eating, talking, and grinding teeth in your sleep are common causes of this disorder. On the other hand, we do find that hours of dental work, falls, and motor vehicle collisions also cause TMD.
In the case of microtraumas, specific muscles around the jaw get over-utilized. When these muscles are over-utilized, they tend not to heal correctly and will get trigger points. Trigger points do not allow the muscles to expand to their full potential and cause jaw pain. In the case of significant trauma, however, we find the disc between the mandible and the skull migrates forward or backward many times. This leads to an inability to completely open or close the jaw as well. Some common structures that cause TMD are masseter muscles, digastric muscles, lateral pterygoid muscles, and the mandibular disc.