The joint of the lower jaw, known as Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ), is responsible for taking all the forces that are produced while chewing and talking. Due to various causes like night grinding, missing teeth, abnormal chewing pattern, occupations that require constant talking, arthritis, abnormal forces are transmitted to the TMJ and it starts paining, specially while eating and talking.
There is another condition called TMJ Ankylosis (Locked jaw), where due to developmental problems or difficulty during delivery, the child is not able to open his/her mouth. This leads to problems with feeding, speaking and immense psychological problems for child and parents as well. This condition requires aggressive surgical treatment and physiotherapy. The locked portion of joint is cut and replaced with bone from some other part of body, giving immediate full mouth opening and excellent long term results.
Sometimes with age the muscles around the TMJ become weak and as a result, when patient tries to open mouth wide, a clicking sound is heard. If it occurs repeatedly, sometimes the joint gets dislocated and patient cannot close the mouth. Treatment for such dislocation and clicking is also provided.