You may have heard of the children's game Crocodile Dentist. But would you let an actual crocodile treat your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder? For most people the answer to that would be a resounding "no." But that could all change if an experimental treatment from Australia is successful.

When researchers at Columbia College of Dental Medicine took a closer look at the cartilage of the temporomandibular joint recently, they realized this cartilage could do some pretty impressive things.

For the nearly 25 percent of people around the globe who suffer from the debilitating disorder known as temporomandibular jaw disorder, or TMD, finding relief can become an all-consuming effort. Temporomandibular joint disorder is a condition of the temporomandibular joint of the jaw, which causes jaw pain, stiffness, difficulty speaking and chewing, tinnitus, neck and back pain, and even migraine headaches.