Can TMJ Change The Way You Look?
TMJ is a difficult, painful condition that is challenging to treat. Everyone has different levels of pain severity, root causes, symptoms, and treatment solutions. It can cause a host of issues, such as difficulty eating, difficulty sleeping, and even change the way you look. It is true: TMJ can change your face shape and alter your appearance. Keep reading to learn more about how TMJ can change the way you look and how TMJ treatment can get you looking back to your usual self.
Jawline Changes
Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are a group of more than 30 conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and muscles that control jaw movement. “TMDs” refers to the disorders, and “TMJ” refers only to the temporomandibular joint itself. People have two TMJs, one on each side of the jaw. You can feel them by placing your fingers in front of your ears and opening your mouth.
When you have a TMD, your jawline can change due to the muscles pulling in different directions, which may result in a more sunken appearance. If you have jaw pain and you are noticing a change in your jawline, it is important to speak to a TMJ specialist before it gets worse.
Facial Symmetry
When your bite and jaw are not aligned due to TMJ, you will begin to notice that your face may appear crooked. Some things that may be affected include:
- Your chin may shift
- Your face may appear crooked
- One side of your face seems higher than the other
- Your front teeth are misaligned
- Your bite is misaligned
When your facial symmetry becomes distorted, your jaw muscles are working overtime. This will worsen TMJ symptoms. If you have jaw pain and notice that your facial symmetry is different, speaking with a TMJ specialist is important.
Changes Due to Mouth Breathing
When an individual has TMJ, mouth breathing is a common symptom. Breathing through the mouth is not the body’s natural way of breathing—breathing through the nose is, as the nose acts like a filter and provides the body with good-quality oxygen.
Mouth breathing not only allows in more toxins, but it will also cause sleep apnea and changes to the face. Mouth breathing can cause a longer face, recessed chin, dry lips, and sunken eyes.
Is it Reversible with TMJ Treatment?
Treating TMJ can help get your face symmetry back, your jawline strong again, and your body breathing through its nose. At Advanced Sleep and TMJ Solutions, Dr. Connor’s holistic approach to treating TMJ requires no pills or surgery, and it treats the root cause so that once treatment is complete, your TMJ will be nothing more than a distant memory.
TMJ is a chronic condition that worsens over time. It does not go away on it’s own; in fact, it gets worse. Whether you have experienced a jaw injury, suffer from arthritis, or were born with structural difficulties, we can help.
For more information and to start your TMJ treatment journey today, visit us at AdvancedSleepandTMJSolutions.com!
