Is your jaw tender and constantly making clicking or popping sounds when you chew? Unfortunately all the above are symptoms of TMJ.
But do you know that there are still some other unknown or unrecognizable symptoms caused by TMJ which are related to vertigo? TMJ is otherwise known as “the great imposter” as it can cause many other symptoms that are completely unrelated to your bite, such as vertigo.
What is vertigo you ask?
Vertigo is when you feel dizzy or imbalanced and everything seems to be moving up and down when in fact… it’s not. Vertigo is quite a common complaint and can affect even the healthiest of people.
So How are TMJ and Vertigo Related?
Your inner ears have sensors which send signals to your brain about each and every movement and position of your body. The extra stress on your jaw joint causes inflammation which is synonymous with TMJ, this inflammation in turn usually tends to reach your inner ears as well. This inflammation also tends to disrupt your body’s signals to your brain about the positioning of your body, which causes symptoms of vertigo and causes you to experience dizziness.
How does TMJ Cause Dizziness and Vertigo?
The vestibular system of your inner ear is located within your temporal bone, which is where your jaw is attached to your skull. When your jaw is imbalanced, this puts a lot of extra pressure on the temporal bone which can lead to a misalignment of the vestibular system in which your jawbone is located. This causes inflammation which causes it to give conflicting and inaccurate signals to your brain about your balance, causing feelings of vertigo and dizziness.
If you happen to be suffering from vertigo then the underlying cause might not be as obvious. If either your bite or jaw joint is suffering from poor health, this will lead to either temporomandibular joint disorder or dysfunction.
Research indicates that there is a direct correlation between Vertigo and TMJ which can help in resolving your misaligned bite and lessen the tension in your jaw.
How is Vertigo from TMD Diagnosed and TMJ Treatment Options for Vertigo and Dizziness
The ability to identify Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction as the cause of vertigo is not always apparent to your healthcare provider. Do you know that a lot of practitioners are not even fully aware of this connection? Therefore your best solution is to schedule an appointment with a trained TMJ specialist for a proper diagnosis of your condition.
The causes and symptoms of Vertigo are carefully ascertained with a clinical examination and analysis of your medical and health history. After checking out the more common causes of vertigo, the possibility of TMD causing Vertigo is analyzed after a question and answer session with your doctor about other TMD symptoms such as limited jaw movement, jaw pain, TMJ migraines, facial pain, depression and popping jaw joints. The TMJ specialist, in turn, will examine the presence of the joint noises as well as measuring the distance of how much your jaw opens. This is the first test that is performed to minimize any chance of dysfunction in the TMJ.
Tools like ultrasonography, electromyography, MRI, CBCT and radiography are also used to detect the presence of temporomandibular joint dysfunction as a potential cause of vertigo symptoms.
If you are still feeling dizzy and nauseous and want to find relief, get in touch with Dr. Joshua Hong DDS who is a qualified and experienced TMJ specialist in Goodyear, AZ. Don’t delay, call 629 3925 8822 to book your appointment today!