Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder is a medical condition wherein the temporomandibular joint of the jaw becomes misaligned and causes pain throughout the face, head, neck and even the back. Patients with the disorder often have trouble being diagnosed because of the range of symptoms – which, in addition to the aforementioned pain, can include tinnitus, clicking or popping of the jaw, teeth grinding (bruxism), migraine headaches, and muscle aches. But one symptom in particular is much more obviously related to TMJ disorder - and a lot harder to deal with.

We all have bad habits - whether you are a perpetual knuckle-cracker, a hair-twirler or a smoker, some habits are worse for you (and harder to stop) than others. But one habit in particular – nail-biting – could be a lot worse for you than you realize. Here’s why you should stop nail-biting right now for the health of your smile.

It’s a widely known fact that sometimes when our bodies ache, stretching can go a long way toward reducing pain naturally. That’s why so many people find relief using things like physical therapy and yoga. But when your temporomandibular joint starts hurting, there’s not exactly a yoga class for that - but there are some exercises you can try at home to help strengthen the temporomandibular joint and lessen the pain of TMJ disorder.

If you are one of the estimated 10 million Americans suffering from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ disorder), you’ll likely be thrilled to learn that all you need to ease your TMJ disorder pain is a little R&R (rest and relaxation) – or at least that’s what a recent headline implied. But unfortunately for many TMJ disorder sufferers, rest and relaxation isn’t only impractical, but also downright ineffective. So, why would a headline imply this? And what really helps to alleviate TMJ disorder pain?Temporomandibular joint disorder is a condition that occurs when the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of the jaw is misaligned, causing dysfunction and serious pain in areas such as the jaw, head, neck, shoulders and back. It can even cause tinnitus (ear ringing), migraine headaches, bruxism (teeth grinding), and the inability to open and close the jaw. Dr. Alexandra George is a Wexford, Pennsylvania, dentist who treats patients with temporomandibular joint disorder. She says there are many things patients can do to alleviate symptoms of the condition, but that there is no "one size fits all" treatment that works for everyone."Temporomandibular joint disorders can be as diverse to treat as the patients who have them, because TMJ disorder can have many causes and many effects," George says.For example, one patient may have a disorder exacerbated by teeth grinding that also causes jaw pain and neck pain. Subsequently, that patient may find relief with a mouth guard that prevents teeth grinding, while another patient who does not grind her teeth may suffer from migraines and jaw stiffness but may not require a mouth guard. The combination of symptoms and causes make TMJ disorders a unique and painful puzzle for sufferers to figure out - and that’s exactly why sensational headlines like the one claiming that "relaxation" and "rest" can "ease TMJ pain" are so misleading."Relaxation and rest of the jaw can certainly help ease jaw pain in some situations," says George. "But the headline makes it seem like you can get relief by simply taking a nap or a vacation, which is not very likely."The good news is, according to George, though relief from TMJD may be a bit more difficult to obtain than simply sleeping it off, there are solutions that can provide relief, such as neuromuscular dentistry, a special form of dentistry designed to realign the jaw and balance the bite."If you think you have TMJ disorder, speak to your dentist," she says. "Don’t rely on a news article to diagnose or offer do-it-yourself treatment options. You could potentially make your TMJ disorder worse."

You already know that maintaining a healthy body weight is key to living a long, active life, and that losing weight can help prevent myriad illnesses, from diabetes to heart disease to cancer. But what you may not realize is that maintaining a healthy weight can also help ease the symptoms of another painful condition that affects millions of people each year: temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJD.

If you’ve never heard of the connective tissue disorder systemic sclerosis before, you’re not alone. That’s because fewer than 5,000 cases of the extremely rare autoimmune disease - for which there is no cure - are diagnosed each year. But while systemic sclerosis isn’t exactly a household name, the low number of cases should never underscore the severity of this debilitating and sometimes fatal illness.

A recent article in an Irish newspaper is causing quite a stir here in the United States for claiming that a new form of ear insert can alleviate some of the symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. The catch: It’s from right here in America, and most people here have never heard of it. It’s a custom-fit device called Cerezen, and it sits just inside the ear canal like a hearing aid might. But instead of helping you hear, Cerezen claims to help stop bruxism (also known as teeth grinding) and alleviate pain-causing pressure on the muscles and joints affected by TMJ disorder.

When pop musician Lady Gaga was forced to back out of her appearance at Brazil’s Rock in Rio concert last year due to what she described as "severe pain," her admission may have done more to raise awareness for the condition fibromyalgia than any advertising campaign could have hoped to do.

Do you suffer from unexplained headaches, back aches or neck pain? Do you grind your teeth, or hear a clicking or popping sound when you speak, chew or open and close your mouth? Believe it or not, these are all signs of a condition called temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ disorder, and even if your joint itself doesn’t hurt, you could still be affected.

Full-mouth reconstruction: it’s a mouthful, all right. Not only is it a lot to say, but it can also be a long, multi-stage procedure. The good news is, the benefits certainly outweigh the time and expense you invest into it. That’s because in addition to improving your smile, full-mouth reconstruction can improve a lot of other areas too. If you think full-mouth reconstruction is purely cosmetic, think again. Here are some significant ways that full-mouth reconstruction can improve your life.

If you’ve ever been told you have a "bad bite," chances are you can see for yourself that your teeth are out of alignment. From a strictly cosmetic standpoint, a bad bite doesn’t usually look so great, and most people who have bad bites have probably considered correcting them with braces or other orthodontics. But a bad bite can be far more serious than simply having crooked teeth. A bad bite can not only cause uneven wear on the teeth, but it can also cause damage to the teeth, jaw soreness, bruxism (or teeth grinding) and even temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ disorder).

If you’re one of the 28 million Americans who suffer from debilitating headaches known as migraines, you are most likely familiar with how agonizing they can be. But as if the pain, nausea, light sensitivity and dizziness that frequently accompany migraine headaches wasn’t enough, some migraine sufferers may be in for more bad news. That’s because, according to a recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), people who get migraine headaches are three times more likely to suffer from another painful disorder known as temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD for short.

An estimated 29.5 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches each year. A migraine is categorized as a headache that produces an intense, throbbing pain in one or both sides of the head. This pain is often focused behind the eye socket, in the temples or behind the ear. Migraine pain is usually accompanied by other side effects like nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and dizziness. It can also produce something called an "aura," which is a visual side effect that moves in a wavelike pattern across the visual cortex.