What Causes TMD?
In many cases, jaw clicking begins with an old injury to the jaw ligaments that was never properly treated. Over time, tightening inside the joint can lead to compression and clicking.
There are many reasons why TMD occurs. In my 35 years of experience, it is typically the result of an injury to the jaw that damaged the jaw joint ligaments and was left untreated.
You may not remember the injury. If you want to trace it back, you would likely need to think about an incident that occurred three to four years before you first noticed a rumble or click in your jaw.
However, knowing how it happened is less important than knowing how to fix it.
When any part of the body is injured, bruising and swelling occur. Scar tissue forms to bind the area and assist healing. Normally, the body reabsorbs this tissue over time.
If scar tissue remains for years, it can tighten and shorten the structure it attaches to. In the case of a jaw ligament, this tightening compresses the joint and places pressure on the disc inside it. The disc then buckles and releases, creating the clicking sound.
The longer it is left, the tighter the joint becomes and the louder the click. In severe cases, the disc may become permanently displaced.
The difficulty many people face is that most established treatments do not address this initial cause. They often aim to settle pain, restriction, or clicking but do not treat the sprained ligament itself.
Clicky Jaws explains:
• How the problem likely began
• How to assess your own jaw joints
• How to identify the problematic structure
• What to do about it
You begin taking control of your own rehabilitation and moving back toward normal function.