The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most complex, yet it is crucial, allowing you to talk, eat, and swallow. Diseased or damaged TMJ joints result in a multitude of painful and sometimes debilitating disorders. There are many reasons why TMJ disorders develop, including disease, injury, and teeth grinding, leading to thinning discs, inflammation, pain, misaligned bite, and even vertigo.
Vertigo is a condition characterized by the sensation of spinning or feeling that the surrounding is moving, a dizziness that often causes sufferers headaches, ringing in the ears, nausea and vomiting, and trouble focusing. A number of things can trigger vertigo symptoms, including TMJ disorders.
TMJ-related vertigo occurs when the jaw joints become inflamed, causing them to touch the inner ear, a portion of the ear that communicates the location and movement of the body with the brain. When the inflamed joints press against the inner ear, communication with the brain becomes altered, relaying false messages of location and movement to the brain, affecting the body’s ability to balance.
How Are Vertigo and TMJ Disorders Treated?
Vertigo and other symptoms of TMJ disorders can be treated by a number of surgical and non-surgical ways.
Non-Surgical Treatments
Those with minor TMJ disorders and symptoms may benefit from conservative therapies, including:
- Hot and cold compress therapy.
- Prescription medication, such as muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories.
- Physical therapy devices, such as night mouth guards, splints, or occlusal guards.
- Emotional stress therapies, including voluntary avoidance techniques, relaxation, or patient awareness therapy.
- Electrically charged muscle stimulation.
- Increased exercise.
- Massage.
Surgical Treatments
More severe cases of TMJ may require surgery to treat. There are a few common types of TMJ surgery, including:
- Arthroscopy/arthrocentesis: During this procedure, the oral surgeon inserts a tiny scope into an incision and injects an anti-inflammatory agent in order to remove inflammation and reduce the pressure buildup in the joint that presses on the inner ear. This surgery allows the patient to regain a range of motion in the joint and has a high success rate.
- Joint restructuring: This type of procedure is common for arthritic patients suffering severe joint deterioration that require partial or complete replacement with an artificial joint.
- Soft tissue repair: In some instances, TMJ sufferers have serious soft tissue damage that has loosened the connective tissue and ligaments or a joint out of position, requiring surgery to tighten the tissue and ligaments or reposition the joint into its proper place in the socket.
South Jersey Oral Surgeons at Lanzi Burke Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons Provide Surgical Relief for TMJ Disorders
Disorders caused by diseased or damaged TMJ joints can be painful and debilitating. If you are suffering pain or vertigo-related dizziness due to a TMJ disorder, one of our experienced South Jersey oral surgeons at Lanzi Burke Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons may be able to help. Call us at 856-582-4222 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation. Located in Washington Township, Haddonfield, and Woolwich Township, New Jersey, we are dedicated to helping patients throughout South Jersey.