Causes of temporomandibular joint cracking
Since jaw joint cracking is merely a symptom of various diseases of the joint, its causes can be of various kinds. Long-term treatment of this symptom can therefore only be achieved through appropriate therapy of the underlying problem. For this reason, it is extremely important to pay attention to when TMJ clicking occurs and under what conditions it can be aggravated or alleviated.
In addition, the affected patient should pay attention to whether other abnormalities occur in addition to TMJ clicking. Accompanying symptoms of TMJ clicking are, for example, tension or pain in the chewing muscles, headaches or earaches. Especially the accompanying symptoms, which occur in the course of the underlying disease, can provide an initial clue to the underlying problem and provide essential help in choosing the appropriate treatment measures.
In some patients, the eruption of wisdom teeth seems to be the cause of the temporomandibular joint cracking. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the size of the human jaw has decreased significantly over the course of evolution, leaving insufficient space to accommodate 32 teeth. After the wisdom teeth have broken through, the remaining teeth can be displaced and shifted from their original place in the jaw.
As a result, the temporomandibular joint is often subjected to incorrect loading, which can lead to wear and tear and ultimately to cracking of the jaw joint. Furthermore, some patients report that in psychologically or physically triggered stress situations they often tend to grind their teeth at night or press the rows of teeth together with enormous pressure.It is precisely these patients who usually notice a cracking of the temporomandibular joint and severe pain in the area of the temporomandibular joint, head and ears as soon as they get up. However, all of the above mentioned causes are comparatively rare reasons for the occurrence of clicking in the temporomandibular joint.
By far the most common cause of this symptom is still the presence of a disease of the temporomandibular joint known as CMD syndrome (Craniomandibular Dysfunction). Craniomandibular dysfunction is a malfunction of one or more parts of the temporomandibular joint itself. Tooth misalignments that have not been treated orthodontically or have been treated inadequately are the most common cause of craniomandibular dysfunction, which can lead to the patient experiencing clicking jaws and sometimes severe pain.
Typically, the pain resulting from this dysfunction occurs in the area of the ears, head and back. In most patients, the neck is the area most affected. In addition, visual disturbances and tension of the chewing muscles are considered typical accompanying symptoms of craniomandibular dysfunction.
In addition to the mechanical causes already described, bacterial or viral infections that lead to inflammatory processes in the area of the temporomandibular joint can also promote the occurrence of temporomandibular joint cracking or even trigger it themselves. Back, head and neck pain, as well as general symptoms such as fever and fatigue, are among the most common side effects of an infectious temporomandibular joint disease. In addition, one-sided stress during chewing is considered to be the cause of severe wear and tear of the joint, which can be accompanied by jaw joint cracking. A temporomandibular joint inflammation can also produce cracking noises.
