When people talk about things that are discussed a lot or about conditions and situations that involve words that are hard to pronounce, they usually use initials as a stand-in for the real words. This is especially common when it comes to talking about diseases or medical conditions. One example of this is when people talk about the temporomandibular joint. Rather than saying the whole word every time they talk about it, they usually just say "TMJ."

What is TMJ? What problems does a person face when they suffer from TMJ?

The temporomandibular joint is a ball and socket joint. It is located on both sides of your face and it is responsible for moving your jaw. Whenever you open or close your mouth (or move your lower jaw in a side-to-side), you are using the TMJ. Both parts of the joint (the ball and the socket) are cartilage-covered and are separated by a small sized disk. This disk is there to absorb a small amount of the shock that comes from using your TMJ and it helps with the joint's free form movement.

Usually the TMJ will work without you having to worry much about it. Every once in a while, however, some people encounter severe problems when the joint fails to work correctly. Between five and fifteen percent of the population has problems with their TMJ at least once in his or her life. While a lot of the problems that most people experience aren't severe, there are some people who have to deal with extreme problems when the TMJ fails to work correctly.

One of the most prolific problems with the temporomandibular joint is a clicking sound. While this isn't considered severe or even classified as a real disorder it happens because the termporomandibular joint isn't working correctly. Other intense problems that happen with TMJ are jaws that are not aligned correctly or an overly worked joint that has been worn down because its owner has been grinding his or her teeth or has a habit of chewing on pens or pencils. Problems with the TMJ can also cause uneven bites. Uneven bites can induce intense headaches or jaw aches with pain that radiates up into the ear area. These problems make eating incredibly uncomfortable and your jaw might hurt even when it is still.

If you are having problems with your TMJ, your dentist or physician can probably help you treat your problems. Often your dentist will refer you to an orthodontist because many of the problems associated with TMJ result from teeth that don't line up correctly or inappropriate biting or clenching habits. While some problems are small and can be dealt with simply and matter of factly, other problems are more severe and will require extended dental and medical treatments.