Do you feel a pounding in your temples, each side movement of your gaze makes you dizzy? First instinct: you think of a migraine. However, the cause could be found elsewhere. The temporomandibular joint, that tiny pivot connecting the skull to the lower jaw bone, is believed to be the culprit. When it malfunctions, the entire masticatory system becomes disrupted.
A large meta-analysis conducted by the Medical University of Lublin, Poland, evaluated 74 studies from around the world involving more than 170,000 participants. Result: up to 30% of adults are affected by cranio-mandibular dysfunction (CMD). “This high figure is explained by the anatomical and functional complexity of the temporomandibular joints», underlines Ralf Bürgers, clinical director at the Center for Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine at the University of Göttingen in Germany.
Connected together by the lower jaw, the joints are constantly subject to mechanical stress. “We use the masticatory apparatus not only to chew and swallow, but also to speak, breathe and express our emotions. Not to mention bruxism, which consists of grinding your teeth without actually having anything to chew. This generates a lot of stress, which can lead to these disorders», Details the researcher in the lines of the German media Die Welt.
Another striking observation: women are twice as affected as men. The cause is their more flexible connective tissue. “Women are therefore more mobile at the level of the temporomandibular joint, often even hypermobile», explains dentist Ingrid Peroz. A team of Brazilian researchers noted a reduction in pain after menopause, as estrogens – hormones linked to pain sensitivity – then decreased.
The diagnostic puzzle
Identifying a DCM is often a medical puzzle. The symptoms – repetitive headaches, feeling of a lump in the throat, facial pain – are easily confused with those of a migraine or an ENT problem. Once detected, remedies exist and are generally very simple.
It all starts with awareness. Many people have the habit of chewing continuously without realizing it. “Once patients become aware of it and stop doing it, their DCM often disappears.»reports the dentist. Follow-up with a physiotherapist can relieve muscular tension in the jaw, while consulting a speech therapist can correct swallowing or tongue posture.
A few daily actions can be enough to transform the situation. Dentist Hamdi Kent, for example, advises sleeping on your back: gravity pulls the lower jaw downward, reducing contact between the teeth. You should also avoid crossing your legs when sitting, a habit that causes tension that rises from the pelvis to the jaw. No more chewing gum which only exercises the chewing muscles more. And the night gutter? It remains a valuable ally: it distributes pressure, protects teeth and gently re-educates muscular coordination. “We know that this modifies the feedback to the brain and improves the coordination of muscle work»continues Ingrid Peroz.
What if the pain persists despite everything? Surgery remains the last resort. Doctors can perform a minimally invasive procedure such as arthroscopy which removes adhesions or cellular residue and smoothes the joint surfaces. But, experts warn, this type of operation is only considered as a last resort.
