If
you think that TMJ dysfunction may be the cause of your problem(s), there
are several tests you can do or questions you can ask yourself. Take a few
minutes to take this test. It just might prove to be the best time you’ve
ever spent.
If you answer "yes" to a substantial number of these
questions, it may be beneficial for you to have a thorough dental
examination.
If
your dentist is unfamiliar with TMJ dysfunction, or claims to know all
about it but assures you that it is not your problem, it might behoove you
to get a second opinion. If your dentist (or physician) is very well known
and tells you that you don’t have TMJ dysfunction, it may be because he
or she is simply unaware of the many advances in TMJ diagnosis that have
occurred in recent years.
Do you have a grating, clicking, cracking or popping sound in either
or both jaw joints when you chew?
YES
NO
Do you have sensations of stuffiness, pressure or blockage in your
ears? Is there excessive ear wax production?
YES
NO
Do you ever have a ringing, roaring, hissing, or buzzing sound in
your ears?
YES
NO
Do you ever feel dizzy or faint?
YES
NO
Is your jaw painful or locked when you get up in the morning?
YES
NO
Are you ever nauseous for no apparent reason?
YES
NO
Do you fatigue easily or consider yourself chronically fatigued?
YES
NO
Are there imprints of your teeth on the sides of your tongue?
YES
NO
Is it impossible to swallow quickly five times in a row with the last
swallow being as easy as the first?
YES
NO
Does your tongue go between your front teeth when you swallow?
YES
NO
Is it hard to move your jaw from side to side or forward and
backward?
YES
NO
Do your fingers sometimes go numb?
YES
NO
Do you have pain or soreness in any of the following areas: Jaw
joints, upper jaw or teeth, lower jaw or teeth, side of neck, back of
head, forehead, behind eyes, temples, tongue or chewing muscles?
YES
NO
Do you have difficulty in chewing your food?
YES
NO
Are you unable to insert your first
three fingers vertically into your mouth when it is opened wide?
YES
NO
Do you gulp your food, swallowing it whole or almost whole?
YES
NO
Do you have missing back teeth?
YES
NO
Have you had extensive dental
crowns and bridgework?
YES
NO
Do you clench your teeth during the
day?
YES
NO
Do you grind your teeth during the
night?
YES
NO
Do you ever awaken with a
headache?
YES
NO
Have you ever had a whiplash
injury?
YES
NO
Have you ever worn a cervical
collar or had neck traction?
YES
NO
Have you ever experienced a blow
to the chin, face or head?
YES
NO
Have you reached the point where
drugs no longer relieve your symptoms?
YES
NO
Does chewing gum start your
symptoms?
YES
NO
Is it painful to stick your "pinky"
fingers into your ears with your mouth open wide and then close your mouth while pressing forward
with your "pinky" fingers?
YES
NO
Is it painful, or is there soreness,
when you press on your jaw joints or on the cheek just below them
YES
NO
Does your jaw deviate to the left
or right when you open wide? (Look in mirror)
YES
NO
Are you unable to insert your first
three fingers vertically into your mouth when it is opened wide?
YES
NO
Practitioners At Sagewood Wellness Center Conduct
Independent Practices
For additional information or to contact Sagewood
Wellness Center,
send an e-mail to:
sagewoodcenter@cox.net
