TMJ Quiz

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jawdisordersMost people are aware that they can have problems with their teeth from cavities, to braces, to chipped or broken teeth, to tooth loss. Many people are aware that they can have issues with their gingival tissue, from a gummy smile to gingivitis, to periodontal disease. But maybe people are not so aware that they can also have trouble with their jaw. Your jaw joints are called your temporomandibular joints. You have two temporomandibular joints, TMJs for short. They are located on each side of your face in front of your ear. Your TMJs connect your lower jaw to your skull so you can open your mouth to eat, drink, talk, yawn, and do other things.  Let’s find out how much you know about your TMJs with the TMJ quiz below.

True Or False?

  1. True or False: More men than women suffer from TMJ disorders.
  2. True or False: People over the age of 50 are affected the most.
  3. True or False: The cause of TMJ disorders is bruxing (grinding and clenching your teeth). If you don’t brux, you don’t need to worry about it.

Answers:

  1. False: While it has been estimated that over 10 million people suffer from temporomandibular disorders, the majority are women. In fact, twice as many women are affected than men.
  2. False: Temporomandibular disorders are most common in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40.
  3. False: Although bruxing puts undue pressure on your teeth and jaws and can lead to a TMJ disorder, such disorders can also be caused by any number of things including stress; trauma to the jaw, the jaw joint, or the muscles in your head and/or neck; tooth or jaw misalignment; a problem with any of the muscles, ligaments, bones or other parts of the jaw joint including the disc; and arthritis in the jaw.

ABOUT YOUR FORT WORTH, TX DENTIST:

With over 25 years of professional experience, Dr. Steven M. Huffstutler and his caring team proudly provide exceptional preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dental treatment to patients and their families across Dallas/Ft. Worth, including North Richland Hills, Denton, the Mid-cities, Southlake, and all surrounding communities. We also have extensive experience helping patients find relief from painful TMJ disorders (various forms of jaw dysfunction). To schedule an appointment with Dr. Huffstutler, contact our office today by calling 817-918-3038.