Temporomandibular Joint Disorders - Description



The temporomandibular joint (pronounced TEM-pu-roh-man-DIBB-yuh-lur) connects the jawbone (the mandible) with the lower part of the skull (the temporal bone). The joint is located in front of the ear. It allows the jaw to move up and down, back and forth, and forward and backward. Various factors can alter the shape or motion of the temporomandibular joint, which may then put pressure on facial nerves. This pressure can result in pain in various parts of the head. Most cases of TMJ occur in women between the age of twenty and fifty.

Arthrography:
An imaging technique in which a dye is injected into a joint to make X-ray pictures of the inside of the joint easier to study.
Internal derangement:
A condition in which the regular arrangement of parts in a system is disturbed. Some cases of TMJ are caused by a particular internal derangement in which the disc in the temporomandibular joint slips out of its normal position.
Mandible:
The scientific term for the lower jaw.
Temporal bones:
The bones that form the right and left sides of the skull.

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