Temporo-mandibular Joint pain is like toothache, can also cause discomfort, affecting speaking, chewing, and even causing headache or other health problems. It may recover by times but in some cases, patients will become more and more painful. When explaining bruxism, I have briefly introduced the Temporo-mandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). In simple terms, it means that the Temporo-mandibular joint or masticatory muscles are damaged, resulting in pain or difficulty in opening the mouth. Usually, Temporo-mandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) is treated by conservative methods include: rest more, avoid eating hard food, take non-steroid anti-inflammatory painkillers, wear mouthguard to relieve muscle tension, and take muscle relaxation drugs prescribed by a doctor to relax muscles.
So what can we do when the conservative treatments do not work? We can consider irrigation on the joint, which is the Arthrocentesis of the Temporo-mandibular Joint (TMJ). This treatment aims to relieve pain of the temporo-mandibular joints which could not be relieved by analgesics and jaw exercises, and limited mouth opening due to displacement of the cartilage inside the joint. By washing out the inflammatory substances in the temporo-mandibular joint with saline, and then injecting hyaluronic acid as a joint lubricant, the purpose of reducing joint pain and increasing mouth opening is achieved.
The temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) bears a variety of mechanical loads when speaking and chewing. When the articular disc slides on the surface of the articular cartilage, the synovial fluid in the joint cavity can make the articular disc bear less pressure and friction, and play a protective role. Normal synovial fluid is a clear, light yellow, viscous liquid. Hyaluronic acid is one of the main components of synovial fluid, which supplies nutrients to cartilage and maintains the normal lubrication of joints. Therefore, injecting hyaluronic acid after cleaning the inflammatory tissue in the joint can supplement and increase the hyaluronic acid content in the synovial fluid and repair the damaged cartilage. At the same time, for patients with "clicking" sound during mouth opening and closing, the lubrication effect of hyaluronic acid can restore joint flexibility and improve the problem of "clicking" sound.
Most patients have increased mouth opening, pain relief, and improved joint motor function after treatment. However, if the symptoms are related to the degeneration of the jaw bone or the malocclusion caused by the jaw bone, although it is not common, there are very few patients who need to undergo reconstruction surgery of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ). TMJ pain causes great inconvenience to the patient's daily life, avoids the problem from worsening, and should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
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