TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder and can produce a whole range of symptoms, the most common of which are headaches which are similar to migraines. 
Unfortunately, this results in TMJ often being diagnosed incorrectly as migraines and then the patient is prescribed strong painkillers – which may also be addictive – and yet the problem continues.
Apart from headaches, TMJ can also produce any or all of the following symptoms:
- Aching or stiff neck
- Aching or stiff shoulders
- Backaches
- Earaches, ear pain, ringing in the ears
- Jaw pain
- Tooth grinding (bruxism) and jaw clenching
- Popping or clicking in the jaw joint
- Facial pain
- Numbness in the fingers and toes
- Vertigo (dizziness)
- Undiagnosable tooth pain
All of these are usually caused by spasms in the muscles of the head, neck, shoulders, and back, and they are usually caused by differences in the way that the jaw and teeth fit together. This can be a very tiny difference, and yet your body tries to automatically adjust to suit, and this is what sets off the spasms.
Jaw misalignment may be a matter of genetics, but it can also be caused by sports injuries, whiplash, trauma from a car accident, and so on. Unfortunately, muscle spasms do not show up on X-rays, MRIs, and so on, and this is why a migraine is often diagnosed.
The Very Latest NewTom 3D Scanner
However, at Oral Surgery San Francisco, we are TMJ specialists in San Francisco, and we have invested in the very latest NewTom 3D scanner that produces a 3D picture of your jawbone which will help to diagnose your issue and enable us to plan the most appropriate procedure in order to treat the condition. Without a proper diagnosis and plan, a patient may suffer from a lifetime of pain and side effects when, as TMJ specialists in San Francisco, we can solve the issue for you.
If you think that you may be suffering from TMJ, then the sooner you book an appointment to see our Dr. Rabinovich the better, since TMJ can be a degenerative problem, which means that unless it is treated it will only get worse.
Furthermore, when you live in the Bay Area, and San Francisco in particular, it is a high stress environment, and that means that just the stresses and strains of everyday life can have the effect of making TMJ worse.
As TMJ specialists in San Francisco we can diagnose the issue and then provide you with a procedure that will resolve it once and for all, so that you can get back to living your life as it is meant to be.