Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrosis: symptoms and treatment of dysfunction

TMJ arthrosis is an articular disease in dentistry, characterized by dystrophic changes in tissues temporomandibular joint.

The pathological process is accompanied by extremely unpleasant sensations and pain, and also requires immediate treatment to stabilize the condition and eliminate the possibility of serious complications.

Causes of arthrosis of the temporomandibular joint

Osteoarthritis of the jaw joint occurs due to improper distribution of the load on the bone articulation site due to prolonged exposure to provoking factors. The consequence of the process is the disruption of the functioning of the joint, its destruction.

Specialists combine the causes of dangerous pathology into 2 large categories:

Local	General
Manifested by prolonged inflammatory processes of the articular tissue	Are the result of a disruption in the functioning of various body systems or the presence of infectious diseases
malocclusion arthritis lack of several molars or premolars pathological abrasion of the dentition poor quality prosthetics or filling bruxism (teeth grinding) jaw trauma transferred operations	genetic predisposition endocrine disorders neurocirculatory diseases osteoporosis muscle dystrophy diseases of the cardiovascular system infections menopause and hormonal disruptions in the body

Quite often, provoking factors of different categories complement each other, thereby aggravating the course of the disease.

Important! Most often, arthrosis of the TMJ manifests itself in people over 50, although the development of pathology in youth is also not excluded.

Classification

Depending on the results of radiography, sclerosing and deforming types of osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint are distinguished.

Pathologies are classified by the presence of the following features:

Sclerosing	Deforming
the formation of rough connective tissue on the surface of the bone (sclerosis) decrease in distance between joints	consolidation of the fossa of the joint, head and tubercle of the bone deformation of the jaw head the appearance of exophytes (growths)

By the type of origin, osteoarthritis of the TMJ is divided into primary and secondary types. In the first case, the pathology develops as an independent disease. This happens most often during aging, when the processes of repair and collagen production slow down.

The second type of arthrosis appears as a result of trauma, surgery, inflammation or metabolic disorders.

Experts distinguish 4 stages of arthrosis progression:

1. initial stage. It is manifested by a violation of the stability of the articulation of the joints due to a decrease in the joint space and thinning of the cartilage.
2. The second - pronounced deviations. There is sclerosis, pain and gradual ossification of the condylar process. The movement of the jaw is limited and characteristic clicks appear.
3. Third - late. Reduced to limiting the functioning of the temporomandibular joint. X-ray shows complete degeneration of cartilage, deformation of the joints due to the growth of bone nodules due to osteosclerosis and osteophytosis. It is possible to open the mouth slightly at this stage of the disease only slightly.
4. Stage four (especially neglected). Arthrosis of the temporomandibular joint passes into the last form - fibrous ankylosis, in which the ability to move the jaw is practically absent.

At an early age, osteoarthritis of the TMJ can transform into neoarthrosis. This is what experts call a change in the placement of the articular head and the development of a pseudarthrosis. The ability to move the jaw and talk remains, but the disease leads to microgenia and a pronounced deformation of the jaw facial region.

Symptoms of TMJ arthrosis

Osteoarthritis of the TMJ is characterized by the duration of development. Signs of damage appear in stages, increasing as the symptoms of pathology intensify. At the initial stages, the disease practically does not manifest itself, therefore, patients rarely seek help, while missing out on precious time. It is at first that jaw joint dysfunction responds well to treatment.

Over time, the pain increases, causing the greatest anxiety when talking, chewing food, or in the cold.

Further progression of the disease provokes severe soreness of the affected tissues and becomes the cause of radiating pain in the neck, temples, bridge of the nose and other parts of the head.

The main symptoms of arthrosis of the jaw joint are:

Initial period	Average degree of damage	The last stage in the development of pathology
crepitus (characteristic crunch) morning joint stiffness	aching pain that becomes chronic over time synovitis	immobility of the lower jaw joint stiffness soreness of the eye asymmetry of the face jaw misalignment paresthesia hearing impairment localized head pain

Important! The launched dystrophic process in the TMJ leads to irreversible changes in the patient's body. A person can permanently lose the ability to speak and chew food.

Diagnostics

Treatment of arthrosis of the jaw is prescribed after finding out the causes and symptoms of the disease in the process of thorough diagnosis, which involves:

• examination of the patient;
• palpation of the affected area;
• x-ray;
• tomography;
• gnatography;
• arthrography;
• rheography;
• electromyography and so on.

Arthrosis of the maxillofacial joint is treated by dentists. In particularly difficult cases, consultations of other specialists will be required:

• arthrologist;
• rheumatologist;
• otolaryngologist;
• traumatologist;
• infectious disease specialist;
• dermatologist.

So, narrow-profile doctors will help to distinguish pathology from a number of other, similar diseases (arthritis, osteochondroma, etc.).

Treatment of arthrosis of the jaw

Treatment of TMJ arthrosis involves a whole range of measures to eliminate the problem. This includes orthodontic and physical therapy, diet, medication, and surgery.

Traditional medicine

At the stage of dental procedures, the orthopedic surgeon determines the factors that provoke excessive stress on the joints, and methods for their elimination.

For this, the patient may be prescribed:

• change of seals;
• dental prosthetics;
• fastening crowns;
• selective grinding of teeth;
• use, mouthguard, braces and other removable orthodontic appliances.

To eliminate the discomfort associated with the pathology, drug therapy is recommended.

Important! There are no pills that restore cartilage function.

Medications are prescribed to patients to relieve pain syndromes and prevent further progression of the disease.

The following preparations are well suited for this purpose:

• Diclofenac;
• Meloxicam;
• Nimesulide;
• Structum;
• Teraflex;
• Artro-Active;
• Don and others.

In the initial stages of the disease, physiotherapy procedures help well. The choice of one of the methods of treatment depends on the severity of the manifestation of symptoms.

The most popular physiotherapy procedures are:

• infrared and laser irradiation;
• magnetotherapy;
• paraffin applications;
• ozokerite;
• massotherapy;
• inductothermy;
• electrophoresis;
• galvanization.

Diet therapy for dysfunction of the jaw-face joint helps to reduce the inflammatory process, normalize metabolism, enrich the patient's body with nutrients and vitamins.

The list of permitted products for TMJ osteoarthritis consists of:

• vegetables and fruits;
• fish and seafood;
• lean meat;
• dairy products;
• cereals;
• legumes;
• dried fruits;
• candied fruits;
• nuts.

At the same time, it is preferable to cook food with steam or in the oven.

In the case of complete coxarthrosis, maxillofacial surgeons perform operations on:

• joint head transplant;
• disc or head resection;
• joint prosthetics.

Traditional methods of treatment

Treatment of arthrosis of the jaw joint with folk remedies can only occur after consultation with the doctor, since the therapeutic compositions for the remission and relapse stages differ.

The most famous traditional medicine recipes are as follows:

1. Combine 0.2 kg of peeled garlic with 0.5 kg of cranberries. Grind the resulting mass with a blender and sweeten with 1 kg of liquid honey. Take 1 tsp. l. 3 times a day before meals.
2. 2 h l. apple cider vinegar mixed with ½ tbsp. warm drinking water. Consume before main meals.
3. 60 g of cow dung pour 1 tbsp. vodka. Move the composition to a dark place and let it brew for about 10 days. Rub into sore joints at night.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to replace full-fledged treatment with alternative drugs, even in the initial stages of the disease.

Forecast and prevention

In especially severe cases, ostearthrosis of the TMJ leads to the irreversibility of degenerative processes. Only the detection of pathology in the early stages is the only possible method to eliminate this problem.

To eliminate the likelihood of the onset of the disease, the following preventive measures must be taken:

• normalize bite;
• restore lost teeth;
• eliminate current diseases;
• observe a healthy lifestyle.

An important aspect of prevention remains a systematic preventive examination by a dentist.

Medicine is developing, and, perhaps, soon there will be a solution to the problem of osteoarthritis of the TMJ (for example, in the form of stem cells or other techniques). However, at the moment, the best way to defeat the disease is to prevent its development.