H. Clifton Simmons III, D.D.S. - Who Needs TMJ Treatment

Who Needs TMJ Treatment?

Not everyone who has a clicking TMJ needs treatment. There are several measures as to who needs treatment. One of the easiest guides is to ask the questions below. These questions are based on what I call the PDQ rule. If you do not have PDQ, then you probably do not need TMJ treatment.

Pain upon opening your mouth, eating food, swallowing, talking, or yawning

Dysfunction – which means an inability to open your mouth fully to normal opening without problems and cannot move your jaw in all directions without hindrance

Quality of life – which means that your TMJs are causing you a negative change in your quality of life (your friends make fun of your jaw popping, etc.)

This method actually makes sense. If you have no pain, how can a health care provider relieve your pain? If you have no problem in moving your jaw, how can a health care provider make you move better? If you have no negative change in your quality of life from your TMJs, how can a health care provider improve this?

If you do have some or all of the above PDQ, then you may need to seek care with a dentist who diagnoses and treats temporomandibular disorders and craniofacial pain. The level of care you will need is generally based upon your severity and complexity of symptoms.