TMJ, Bruxism​​​​​​​ & Tempo-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction

Around 60% of people will experience TMJ Dysfunction & Bruxism at some stage in their life. It’s most common in people in the 20 to 40 age group, and decreases as we age. 

Symptoms of TMJ Dysfunction and Bruxism can include tempo-mandibular joint pain, facial pain, tinnitus, headache, toothache, a clicking jaw, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, hearing and balance issues and trouble sleeping.

Tempo-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction is often acute and short term, say when a person is going through a particularly stressful time or it may have been going on for many years.

It is very important to find the cause of this disorder. Sometimes it’s very obvious what’s causing the issue and sometimes it’s more complicated. The pain may be due to damage to the joint itself or teeth clenching or pain referral from trigger points in various muscles. Stress often plays a part in TMJ Dysfunction.


When a person is clenching their teeth, their tempo-mandibular joint and teeth are at war with each other. The clenched teeth are pulling the jaw in one direction and the tempo-mandibular joint is fighting to stay in a neutral position. This exhausts the muscles that close the mouth, these muscles become painful and tired, then they develop trigger points which can cause pain to refer to other areas such as the face, head and teeth.

The tempo-mandibular joint axis centres around the second cervical vertebra. This means that if there is TMJ tension, there’s also going to be neck tension. This tension will often work its way down the neck to the shoulders, and around the front of the neck to the collar bones. This could help explain why neck and shoulder pain, issues with swallowing and globus often accompany tempo-mandibular joint pain.