You may normally think of a number of the symptoms of
TMD as being medical conditions, not related to dentistry.

Signs & Symptoms of TMD

Pain or dysfunction of the head and neck is a very common condition and one that might be resolved very simply or might be very complex and frustrating to treat, depending upon the circumstances.
The bite can be a factor in many types of pain or functional problems, because the inter-relationship of the overall musculoskeletal system. Since there is a relationship between the teeth, jaw joints, head and neck muscles, and head posture, a problem in any one of these areas may affect others. These can include painful clicking or popping of the jaw joint, various types of head and neck pain, swallowing problems, postural problems, and excessive snoring or sleep apnea, to mention a few.

In addition, they will be looking for a number of signs in your posture, appearance and condition of your teeth, and exiting bite that might aid in diagnosis. An imperfect bite often plays a significant role in these conditions. However, diagnosing these problems can be very difficult a times.

Headaches and Your Bite

The muscles of the temple area of the forehead are muscles that play an important part in the posturing and closing of the jaw. If your occlusion (bite) is not right, it can lead to abnormal tension in these muscles - one of the several possible causes of tension type headaches. If the bite is not corrected, the muscles may remain tense for long periods of time. The contracted muscle does not get a chance to rest and soon suffers from poor circulation - thus a lack of need oxygen and the accumulation of waste products of metabolism. The result can be pain (headache).