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TMD and Teenagers

TMD and Teenagers

Why Teenage Patients Have More TMJ Problems in the Spring?

As spring approaches it is common for orthodontists such as Dr. Demas to receive a larger than usual number of phone calls from current and former patients reporting unexplained jaw pain. Parents often report that their teenage children have painful jaws and are unable to eat, sleep or study properly. This pain is often diagnosed as TMD, short for temporo-mandibular jaw pain.

Stress is the often the cause of TMD

 

The final week or two of April and the beginning of May are the periods when students are under the most stress. Intermittent sleep and eating habits can cause jaw pain. This is normally in the muscles beyond the lower molars. These are the chewing muscles, and pain in this region suggests that the grinding and clenching of teeth are causing the soreness – not actual medical problems with the muscles or the teeth.

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