What Increases Your Risk
Risk factors for
include:
- Stress and anxiety, which can cause facial and
jaw muscle tension.
- Repetitive habits, such as grinding your teeth
(bruxism), clenching your teeth, excessive gum chewing,
eating hard or chewy foods, and nail biting.
- Habits that can cause
muscle tension, such as sleeping on one side of your face or with your mouth
open, opening your mouth wide when yawning or singing, or holding your head up
by cradling your jaw in your hand.
- Injury to the jaw or head. TM
disorders can result from a direct blow to the jaw, chin, or head;
to the head or neck; overstretching the jaw
during dental work or surgery; or other injuries that may lead to joint damage
or muscle tension.
- Age and gender. TM disorders primarily affect
people between the ages of 20 and 50. 1Women are more likely to report symptoms of TM disorder than men.
In the past,
and
were thought to cause or contribute to TM
disorders. Similarly, orthodontics have been used to treat TM disorders.
Current research suggests that orthodontic treatment and
malocclusion do not trigger TM disorders or make them
worse.2