Having Difficulty Chewing? It Could Be TMJ Disorder

Have you found that it’s hard to chew? Do you experience pain or difficulty chewing or swallowing? Our Indianapolis TMJ dental office often sees patients with these symptoms.

Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your skull to your jawbone. This sliding joint allows you to open and close your mouth. Improper function of the TMJ can cause difficulty chewing, pain, stiffness, and other symptoms. 

If it’s hard to chew, then it’s worth seeing a dentist as soon as possible. Difficulty chewing can be caused by several different conditions, including: 

• Trauma or injury. 
• Osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Oral health conditions such as gum disease, tooth decay, infections, or tooth loss. 
• TMJ disorders. 
• Oral cancers. 

If your dentist suspects TMJ disorders may cause your difficulty chewing, you may need an examination, dental X-ray, CT scan, or MRI to confirm the disorder. Once diagnosed, your dentist will explore treatment options with you. 

TMJ disorders could be the reason it’s hard to chew. TMJ disorder symptoms include: 

• Pain or difficulty chewing. 
• Tenderness or pain in your jaw. 
• Aching pain in or around your ear when chewing. 
• Facial pain. 
• Difficulty opening and closing your mouth. 

TMJ can be caused by several conditions, including something as simple as an imbalanced bite. TMJ disorder causes include: 

• An imbalanced bite. 
• Damage to your temporomandibular joint from injury or arthritis.  
• The shock-absorbing disk that separates the bones that interact with the joint moves out of alignment or erodes. 
• Certain diseases within connective tissue that may affect the temporomandibular joint. 

Your risk of developing TMJ disorders is also increased if you chronically and frequently clench or grind your teeth. 

Noblesville dentist office, Deldar Dental has made it their mission to improve the quality of life of their patients. With more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Mike Deldar treats imbalance bites and TMJ disorder in a natural, physiologic way. 

Difficulty chewing can be a sign of TMJ disorder. If it’s hard to chew, contact Deldar Dental today to schedule an appointment.