Is TMJ permanent? Does it go away on its own?

Can TMJ go away on its own, or TMD go away on its own, as we discussed in an earlier video? Yes, sometimes. Sometimes it's not a bad case and people's tissues will adapt and make a pseudo disc, a pseudo pocket, or a pseudo ligament and enough fluid will be there to make it still a slippery joint that slides and opens without causing any pain. So yes, that can happen. And it can stay that way forever.

What I see a lot of, though, is when I put the splint in after we've determined if it's a tooth problem or not, it gives them relief. That's the number thing we're trying to do is get relief. Now they can go ahead and let me go further in diagnosing what's causing the pain to begin with. Or they can just stop right there and where that relief splint for the rest of their lives. There's nothing that's going to hurt. It's not going to interfere with your airway. It's not going to make you bite your lips. Some people can even talk with them in. But if it gets rid of the pain, I'm happy. That's the first step.

The second step is, “Will it stay gone?.” No, I told you earlier, teeth are always in a flux. You're always breaking one to get in a Crown. Two years later, you break one on the other side, you get a Crown. Those crowns are put on there individually and a middle aged elderly patient, it's not unusual to look in there and see five or six different crowns in different places, and they were put in there without much respect to the bite of the whole system. So that can happen.

You can have a tooth pulled and you're going to develop a TMJ problem that probably is never going to go away till you take that tooth out (the opposing tooth).

So it can go away and it can get better. But most times you have to treat it.

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If you have any questions or concerns about TMJ or other dental issues, contact us by phone or by filling out the form below. One of our dental specialists will be happy to answer any questions you might have. You can also set up a free consultation with Dr. Gary L White to talk with him personally about TMJ issues.