Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome also referred to as TMJ is a term that is commonly used for inflammation in the TMJ joint which connects your skull. There are two of these joints in your head, one on each side of the face. Sometimes, this is often confused or mistaken for other medical problems like earaches.



The problem has nothing to do with the ear at all, but most of the time causes pain in the ear area since that is where the joint is located. There are some symptoms that are a dead giveaway for TMJ that can help you self diagnose the problem. I will go into each of them below.

The first way you can diagnose this disease is if you have pain in the facial muscles and joints. TMJ can cause extreme paid and soreness throughout your face and jaw area especially if it is causing your jaw to lock up. The pain in usually located in front of the joint, just below one of your ears. However, it can sometimes move elsewhere on your face and is not restricted to the ear area.

Second, you may have TMJ is you have pain in the ears or are having earaches often. You see, when the joint grinds back and forth, people think that they are experiencing an ear ache because the joint is far too close to the ear to figure out where exactly the pain is coming from. Sometimes, this pain can cause ringing in the ear and can cause hearing problems.

Do you hear clicking or popping noises? This could be the third way for your do self diagnose your TMJ. If you hear clicking or popping noises, this is happening because the joints move or are completely out of place. In rare cases, this can become loud enough for other people to hear if they are close enough to you. The clicking and popping is one of the most common symptoms of TMJ.

Fourth, you can experience bad headaches, but this is sometimes not the case with many patients. These headaches often lead to dizziness or nausea. You might also notice swelling on the affected side of the head. Your mouth might swell as well due to the irritation of the joints.

These are obviously just a few of the symptoms of TMJ. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms or have family members who have TMJ, you should probably make an appointment for that to be looked at.