Skull Crown

Skull Crown

Two Types of Tmj

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) is a condition that may be suffered by more than 30 million Americans. Sometimes called "the Great Imposter" for its ability to masquerade as other conditions, TMJ can result in symptoms as diverse as sleep disorders, facial pain, back pain, tooth pain, ringing in the ears, and tingling or numbness in the extremities.

The temporomandibular joints are located on either side of the head, where the jaw (mandible) meets the skull. In itself it is composed of three parts, the articulating surface on the skull, described as a fossa, the articulating surface on the mandible, described as a condyle, and the disc of cartilage that acts as a cushion between them. TMJ can be caused by a condition in the joint itself, in which case it is described as being intracapsular, or by conditions outside the joint, in which case it is described as being extracapsular.

Intracapsular TMJ

Intracapsular TMJ is the result of some structural change in one of the three components and/or their relationship with one another. They can interfere with the function of the jaw and often produce pain, especially localized pain that is often easily traceable to jaw motion, although the actual diagnosis of TMJ can still be very difficult. There are four commonly recognized types of intracapsular TMJ.

Developmental disorders can lead to an abnormal development of the joint. These often appear in patients of a relatively young age and tend to be highly symptomatic.

Diseases such as degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and neoplasms (pre-cancerous growths) can attack the joint. Although neoplasms can be isolated, arthritic TMJ often develops along with other affected joints. These tend to appear in older patients.

Injuries can often lead to displacement of the joint. Although the trauma does not need to be directly to the jaw, the sudden onset of this type of TMJ makes it easy to trace back to its cause.

Internal derangements are TMJs that set in without any evidence of external influence. Instead, the relationship between the condyle, fossa, and disc is disrupted for no apparent reason.

Extracapsular TMJ

Extracapsular TMJ is caused not by damage to the joint itself, but by conditions outside the joint that exert displacing force on the joint. The most common cause of extracapsular TMJ is malocclusion, when teeth don't fit together properly. Malocclusion can be congenital--related to poor dental development--or it can be the result of tooth loss, poor dental restorations, or dental trauma. Because this kind of extracapsular force places constant strain on the muscles and may displace or adversely affect important nerves in the area, extracapsular TMJ is more likely to create wide-ranging effects, such as headaches, ear pain, facial pain, and tooth wear and pain among other effects.

About the Author

No matter what the cause of your TMJ, the best one to diagnose and treat it is a neuromuscular dentist. If you are in Hannibal or St. Louis, Missouri or the surrounding area, consult the website of neuromuscular dentist Charles Janes, DDS for more information.

Question about the skull and brain?

Hi, I was just wondering about something. Some people (Like me) have unsymmetrical shaped skulls (Mine is slightly dented on right hand side of my crown) but why doesn't this do any damage to the brain? wouldn't there be more pressure on the brain? does the brain adapt to the shape or something? or does the skull adapt to the brain to allow less pressure?

I'm just baffled because I know that the human body is amazing and is very good at healing.

Thanks

No part in any human body is 100% symmetrical, even the legs, hands are also unsymmetrical. But it is very small that you don't notice. When you visit a general physician next time ask him. Now coming to brain and skull, as I said its not symmetrical. Even my skull has a dent, on the middle of right side of my skull. I can just feel it by my hand. But you see, the brain is not as big as your skull and not directly touching it. Its much smaller, and there is a thick fluid between the brain and the skull called the Cerebral Fluid. This fluid protected the brain from shocks, both physical shocks and electrical shocks. It absorbs most electrical socks. Also it protects from physical shocks like, if you fall or hit something hard with your head even with much force, your soft brain won't just hit against your hard skull and spat, become a paste or something since the Cerebral Fluid absorbs mush of the physical shock.

So you see thats how your brain is not directly the shape of your skull. But one thing is sure, human body is amazing, and man had not been able to learn more than some 5% of it completely.

Skull and Crown (1935)