The Washington Post recently featured an article on Temporomandibular Disorders. Below is an excerpt from that article and a link to the full story.
"...It's one of the most common pain disorders, after low back pain and headache," says John Kusiak, acting deputy director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. "Fortunately, most first-onset cases of TMD will resolve with either no treatment or minimal care."
About 10 percent of people with TMD go on to develop long-term symptoms that affect the quality of their daily lives, Kusiak says. Experts usually define chronic TMD as consistent pain in the jaw area that lasts beyond three months, he says.
"The jaw is very important for a number of things, including how we eat, for smiling, for talking, for singing and for kissing," Kusiak says. "People may have difficulty talking, and smiling, difficulty interacting with others. As a result, they may develop emotional and psychological problems that can lead to the inability to work or communicate."
Scientists don't know what causes it, although trauma to the jaw or temporomandibular joint is a clear risk factor. Most of the time, TMD develops for no obvious reason.
Because the condition is more common in women, scientists are exploring its possible connection to female hormones. They also are studying possible genetic links.
Research suggests that TMD risk factors also might include teeth grinding, which can aggravate the joint, smoking and sleep dysfunction - insomnia or sleep apnea, "anything that disturbs the normal cycle of sleep," Kusiak says - but there is no evidence that "a bite that is off, or constant chewing on one side" causes TMD..."
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/if-you-hear-a-click-in-your-jaw-this-is-what-you-need-to-know/2017/06/09/594e1e0e-4a26-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html?utm_term=.c5f088636c4c