1. Symptoms of TMJ can be many and varied but can usually be subdivided into those that occur A) around the jaw, B) around the head, C) around the whole body. Do you have any of the following?

A. Symptoms concerning the Jaws:

1. Clicking, grating, grinding noises or popping (loud or soft) of your jaw joints during chewing, talking, or yawning are all cardinal signs of “TMJ”, as are…
2. Pain in the jaws, especially the jaw chewing muscles of the jaws, or pain right in front of the ear, especially when chewing.
3. Excessive clenching or grinding of your teeth during sleep or even during waking hours.
4. Limited or painful mouth opening, or “catching”.
5. Difficulty closing your jaw all the way to your full normal bite.
6. Jaws so stiff in the morning upon rising that you cannot get your mouth open for a while, or other types of jaw motion limitation.
7. Pain in the teeth with no detectable dental cause.
8. Severe jaw deviation upon opening.
   

B: Symptoms Concerning the Head:

1. Migraine headaches, of any type, intensity, duration, or location in the head.
2. Chronic recurrent headaches of any frequency, intensity, pattern, location, or duration in the absence of any other known medical reason.
3. Frequent ear pain or earaches with no infection or other ear maladies present.
4. Periodic ringing, hissing, or buzzing sounds in the ear, or periodic difficulty hearing.
5. A plugged or stuffy sensation in the inner ears.
6. Pressure or pain that throbs above or behind the eyes.
7. Occasional dizziness or vertigo.
8. Frequent pains at the base of the skull.

C. Symptoms concerning the Entire Body.

1. Frequent neckaches.
2. Neck pains that spread down the shoulder and arm.
3. Numbness or tingling in the fingers or “pins and needles” feeling that slowly spreads up the hand and forearm over 10 – 20 minutes, that then might “jump” to the side of the face or side of the head.
4. Pains starting at the head and neck that spread down the back to the hips and legs.
5. A generalized muscle weakness that comes and goes, usually limited to one side of the body or the other.
6. A feeling at times that the head is too heavy for the neck muscles to hold upright.
7. Frequent episodes of cold hands, cold feet. For females, extreme difficulties with PMS or variance in periodicity of their cycle.
8. Difficulty sleeping. emotional fluctuations (irritability, anxiety, depression) not severe enough to require serious medical treatment but severe enough to be noticed by the patient and /or other family members and close friends.
9. Nausea, vomiting, weakness, sensitivity to light, sound, or smells during the throws of a bad headache.
10. Does chewing gum for more than 5 minutes cause headache, jaw pain, jaw muscle fatigue, or pain in the jaw joints?
    Do these and the above mentioned signs and symptoms sound like things you have frequently experienced along with your chronic recurrent headaches? If the answer is yes, you most likely have “TMJ”.