Temporomandibular Disorder doesn't appear overnight. It often takes years to develop. Many people think that emotional stress causes symptoms of TMD such as grinding or clenching your teeth. While emotional stress does play a part, TMD most often stems from a structural deficiency. Basically, when your teeth, jaw, joints and muscles are not working together in harmony, TMD can develop.
Frequent causes may include:
- An injury to the head or neck area (e.g. whiplash or car accident)
- Missing teeth
- Extensive dental work with crowns or bridges
- Bad or irregular bite when your teeth meet (e.g. overbite; underbite)
- Misalignment of the upper and lower jaw
- Poor Posture (i.e. Slouching; or carrying a heavy bag or backpack)
- Forward Head posture (i.e. when you jut your head forward when working on a computer for hours; or cradling the phone between your shoulder and ear; or reading a book)
- Sleeping posture (e.g. sleeping with one arm under your pillow)