TMD/Orofacial Pain/Oral Medicine

The various symptoms that patients with these disorders include jaw pain, facial pain, sore/stiff jaw muscles, headaches, jaw joint clicking, cracking, grating, or locking, limited jaw opening, bite instability, and grinding or clenching of the teeth.

The various conditions that are classified in this area include musculoskeletal pain (muscle, tendon, ligament, and joint pain), vascular pain, and neuropathic pain (neuralgia, neuritis, neuroma).  Of these, the vast majority fall into the classification of musculoskeletal pain, specifically the jaw and facial muscles, and the jaw joint (TMJ).  However, there are also various types of muscle and joint pain, each requiring specific treatments.  For more information on these various disorders, check the “patient information” section at www.aaop.org

Oral medicine involves a variety of conditions of the face and oral cavity including oral mucosal diseases, orofacial pain, temporomandibular disorders and disorders of the salivary  glands. For further information please visit www.aaom.com