What Is Temporomandibular Joint?

Temporomandibular Joint

Before we can discuss the Temporomandibular joint disorder, its signs and symptoms and solutions we have to explain a few fundamental factors about the temporomandibular joint or TMJ.

What is the temporomandibular joint?

The temporomandibular joint is the joint that links the lower jaw (mandibular jaw) with the skull and you can really feel it in front of the ear through mouth movements. There are 2 TMJs on each part of the face that work in symphony to allow activity for one bone (mandible).

TMJ Structure

On the opposite of what it appears to be the lower jaw is the jaw that moves throughout activity like biting, speaking, inhaling . This activity can be done as a result of the Temporomandibular Joint.

TMJ is the most employed joint in human body. It is made by the round upper end of the lower jaw known as condyle, the socket referred to as articular disk or glenoid fossa and the articular fossa. The articular disc is located between these articular surfaces, made of fibrous that takes up the tension as a cushion and enables the performance of the joint when the mouth opens and closes. The articular disc splits the TMJ in two chambers: the lower section created by the condyle and the lower surface of the disc with revolving function and the upper section made by the temporal bone and the upper area of the disk with translation performance.

Other significant elements of the temporomandibular joint are:

• The ligaments that strengthen the joint during the performance, and  
• the capsule that is a membrane made up by fibrous tissue that encompasses the temporomandibular joint.

Throughout the opening of the mouth the lower jaw (mandible) does two kinds of activity due to the certain structure of the TMJ.

The first activity is an absolute rotation. The jaw moves in a hinge axis and the mouth opens only for 4 mm. The 2nd movement is a interpretation.

The condyle slips onward until it has to complete the articular eminence and the mouth opens over 4 mm.

There are four kinds of motion of the mandible:

• Protrusion, or onward venture; 
• Retrusion, the letting go of protrusion 
• and the two horizontal activities (left and right).

The main reasons of motion for the lower jaw are the muscle tissue. They are also the primary causes for TMJ pain. There are several types of muscles:

• Lower the mandible muscle
• Pull up the mandible muscle
• Protrusion muscles
• Retrusion muscles

A muscle might assist in more than one type of movement.

Considering that the temporomandibular joint is such a complicated biological structure, if one of its elements does not work or is infected leads to difficulties in the joint and these means complications in various functions like eating, closing and opening the mouth, keeping right and so on. It could trigger also ache that often is challenging to diagnose.

TMJ Pain Explained