TMJ Injury, Boston Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer Parker Scheer LLP

TMJ

Tempero-mandibular joint syndrome is manifested by pain in the joint that swings the jaw (mandible). Several million people in the U.S. have this problem. Presumed causes of the TMJ pain are stresses on the joint, such as the effects of a significant overbite, grinding of the teeth – especially at night, clenching of the jaws due to chronic stress or anger, or injury to the face and jaw, such as hits to the jaw in boxing, or due to facial injuries in car accidents or motorcycle accidents. The smooth cartilage of this fairly small joint can be damaged, even when no fracture occurs. The mandible bone diminishes in size near the pivot-point by the ear, making TJM more vulnerable to fractures. A large number of TMJ injuries go undetected within the first few months of the trauma, and only later does the chronic pain distress the victim sufficiently to seek relief from physicians or dentists. The debilitating effects of chronic TMJ pain are real, and the consequences often exceed expectations, compounding the stress which may have caused the initial problem.

TMJ Symptoms & Treatment

The pain is sometimes thought to be that of an infected tooth. It is somewhat common for the person with TMJ injury to have a “popping” or “grinding” sensation in the joint, especially when eating. Generally, the pain on one side of the head is worse than the other, and chewing patterns probably play a significant role. Habitual gum-chewers, especially, seem to be plagued with a greater frequency of joint problems. Generally, the pain can be controlled with mild analgesics, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, but occasionally that is not sufficient. When mild analgesics are not sufficient to control the pain, a mouth piece— similar to those worn by football players— can be worn at night, or even during the day, to prevent unnecessary movement of the TMJ. This period of rest for the joints is sometimes miraculous in providing many hours of relief. A notch higher in the treatment algorithm is injection of the joint(s) with a very low dose of anti-inflammatory steroid. Again, sometimes this is nearly curative, at least for weeks or even months. One cannot continue to repeat this treatment indefinitely, however, since there might be adverse effects on the joints caused by the anti-inflammatory steroids, namely, diminution and roughening of the normally smooth cartilage that enables the bones to glide gently over each other. In more radical cases, surgery is performed, to make the teeth align properly, either by removing a section of bone or inserting some sort of spacer to lengthen the mandible. In those patients in whom psychiatric stresses are the cause of chronic tension of the muscles of the jaw, anxiety medications can be tried, sometimes with excellent benefits. Even hypnosis has been successful in certain TMJ patients, and is often worth a try, since it is obviously non-invasive, and has no adverse side-effects.

Contact a Lawyer About Your TMJ Injury

If you have suffered a TMJ injury as a result of a car accident, or negligence of others, Parker Scheer recommends that you consult with a personal injury lawyer and evaluate your case. For your free confidential case review click here and receive a response from one of our attorneys within hours. If you prefer, you can also telephone our offices in Boston seven days a week at toll free 866-414-0400.

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