Any inflammation brings us a lot of suffering, and with problems with the jaw joint a person can’t eat at all. How to deal with facial pain? What is it in principle - inflammation of the jaw joint? We will discuss the symptoms, treatment and causes of this medical problem.
Temporomandibular joint anatomy
The temporomandibular joint (CHF) is a joint that connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone, located directly in front of the ear on each side of the head.
The joint consists of the following parts:
- head of the lower jaw ;
- condyle - the head of the lower jaw included in the capsule;
- joint capsule;
- articular disc, which consists of cartilage.
- intracapsular and extracapsular ligaments.
There are two joints, and they work simultaneously. The human jaw is able to move forward, make lateral movements and move up and down. This structure allows us to chew food and talk.
Inflammation of the jaw joint. Symptoms
If any inflammation occurs in one joint, the entire system is disrupted. Therefore, inflammation of the jaw joint requires a medical examination and proper treatment.
Inflammation is acute and chronic. Acute inflammation of the jaw joint usually occurs after an injury, loss of the condyle from the capsule or dislocation of the jaw. Chronic inflammation develops slowly, most often as a result of defects (malocclusion) or poor quality dental work. The pain in this case is not strong, aching. Sometimes a person does not suspect the causes of this pain. It happens that inflammation is transmitted from the inner ear to the joint.
After all, the ear canal, its shell and jaw joint are in close proximity. Thus, osteomyelitis or meningitis can cause inflammation. It happens that this condition provokes lupus erythematosus (autoimmune disease) or rheumatoid arthritis. There are many options.
Symptoms of inflammation
The very first symptoms of this condition should not be ignored. A person will lose normal performance when his temporomandibular joint hurts. Inflammation, the symptoms of which we will cite, in medicine is called "arthritis of the temporomandibular joint." If inflammation is not treated, it leads to degenerative changes. This condition of the joint will already be called arthrosis. Then you will have to spend more time and money on treatment.
In acute and chronic arthritis, the symptoms vary. Symptoms in acute inflammation:
- redness and swelling in the joint;
- tissue hyperemia near;
- sometimes tinnitus and crunch;
- jaw grinding at night;
- difficulty opening your mouth;
- sharp pain when moving, extending to the ears and back of the head;
- dizziness;
- fever.
With chronic inflammation, other symptoms are:
- aching pain;
- feelings of jaw stiffness, especially if the sleeping position is chosen face down;
- the pain intensifies when you press the jaw;
- hearing loss is possible.
Usually, chronic inflammation is not accompanied by redness of the surrounding tissue or inability to open the mouth. However, it is still advisable to eat sparing liquid food at this time and treat inflammation. After all, prolonged inflammation without the necessary treatment will lead to facial deformation.
Infectious inflammation. Infection pathways
Inflammation of the jaw joint can also begin as a result of an infectious disease. Diseases such as tonsillitis, the common flu, can lead to inflammation of even the joints.
Also provocateurs can be:
- tuberculosis bacillus;
- syphilis virus;
- gonorrhea;
- mastoiditis (inflammation of the mastoid process of one of the bones of the skull);
- actinomycete fungus;
- purulent osteomyelitis.
In this case, together with the diagnosis of “inflammation of the temporomandibular joint” (symptoms are often eloquent), there will be no delay, with the determination of the type of infection, too. The therapist will determine the infection after collecting an anamnesis (medical history) and looking at the tests, and possibly asking for an X-ray. How can an infection get into the jaw joint?
An infection can switch and provoke inflammation of the jaw joint in several ways:
- through the blood;
- lymph
- directly through open cuts.
It is the underlying disease that needs to be treated. Since the joint structure itself is not damaged in this case, this problem will also go away with the cure of the infection.
Post-traumatic and rheumatoid inflammation
Those people who suffer from arthritis of the joints in the knees and elbows sometimes suffer from rheumatism of the jaw joint. Then you need to contact only a rheumatologist.
Arthritis after a trauma to the jaw will pass when the consequences of the trauma pass. Inflammation is triggered by blood clots that have fallen into the joint cavity. The doctor must clean the entire joint.
During acute pain, the jaw should be tightly bandaged and the patient should not be allowed to speak or chew. At this time you will have to eat only liquid yogurts and soups rubbed on a blender.
Joint inflammation as a result of malocclusion
At the beginning of the article it is mentioned that malocclusion can lead to inflammation. Why does this happen? In the human body, symmetry is one of the main laws. The height of the teeth should be the same and they should fit tightly together. Otherwise, the load on the joints will be uneven. In cases where the bite is not formed correctly: the lower jaw sags too much or protrudes, the jaw joint begins to hurt from the load over the years and can become inflamed. The same situation occurs when several teeth on one side are missing and the load when chewing passes to the other side.
To cope with such pain, you need to contact the orthodontist who is involved in correcting such problems with the teeth. But it is necessary to exclude other causes of inflammation before starting treatment.
To check whether there are improvements or not, just put a special mouthpiece in your mouth and walk with it for several days. The pain will decrease or even disappear if the cause is really dental problems.
Complications of inflammation of the heart
An untreated disease of an infectious nature is one of the most dangerous causes of inflammation of the facial joint. What will happen if the joint is not treated? Firstly, pain will periodically come. The articular cartilage consists of connective tissue. And if suppuration begins in the joint area, this cartilage will quickly collapse.
Purulent temporal phlegmon comes. Then, if the patient does not come to the surgeon to remove pus, he can be transferred to other nearby tissues.
The acute nature of the disease without pus can also significantly spoil the life of someone who is afraid of treatment. The joint process begins in the joint, and over time it ceases to be mobile. This process is called fibrotic ankylosis. If this happens on one side, then the whole face is deformed. The next stage of the disorder is bone ankylosis, when the joint tissue finally ossifies.
How to deal with pain?
Sometimes pain due to arthritis of the facial joint is unbearable. People cannot eat for weeks, much less yawn. And while the main treatment lasts, you need to somehow cope with the pain that radiates far from the site of inflammation. Conventional drugs such as Ibuprofen are suitable for this. Any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets available in a home medicine cabinet will come in handy.
During severe pain, the joint must be immobilized - apply a special bandage. It is advisable to apply a hot and dry compress to the temple. In the pan, it is enough to heat the salt and put it in a bag of simple fabric. Some people prefer to use ointments.
But it happens that tablets for pain relief are not enough. Then the doctor has the right to prescribe injections.
Such injections block the pain completely after 15 minutes. Assign in injections "Tramadol" or "Trimeperidine." These drugs belong to the class of narcotic drugs and are used by their doctor only in exceptional cases when the pain is unbearable, for example, after a jaw injury.
There is also a medicine "Nalbufin". The drug is not so strong, it does not apply to narcotic drugs, but it is not well understood.
Inflammation of the jaw joint. Treatment
How to determine inflammation of the jaw joint? Which doctor will help you find a solution to the problem? First you need to contact the therapist who will conduct the initial examination, and then he will refer to the specialist who can help practically.
If the patient has problems with a bite, you need to consult a dentist, otitis media should treat ENT. You may need the help of a gnatologist or a neuromuscular dentist. And if the pain began after an injury, then you need to go to the maxillary surgeon.