WatchTMJ & TMD

TMJ disorders explained: the source of jaw pain, clicking, and morning headaches

A sore jaw first thing in the morning, clicks or pops while you chew, headaches that keep coming back, these often trace to a TMJ disorder, also called TMD, or temporomandibular joint dysfunction. The temporomandibular joints link your jaw to your skull, and once they're stressed or misaligned the symptoms tend to surface far from the joint itself.

Inside the joint, a lot can go wrong, and this video shows why TMJ disorders produce such a broad spread of symptoms, from jaw pain and earaches to headaches, neck pain, and even broken sleep. Plenty of people never connect the dots until Dr. Lauren Brammeier points out the telltale wear that grinding has left on their teeth.

TMJ treatment is one of Dr. Lauren Brammeier's specialty differentiators. The usual starting point is a custom-fit night guard that cushions the bite and shields the teeth. When tight jaw muscles are the real driver, therapeutic Botox placed in the masseter muscles can sharply cut both the grinding and the headaches it sets off, sometimes after nothing else has helped.

If any of this sounds familiar, don't wait it out. You'll find a fuller rundown of the treatment options on our TMJ/TMD page, and a consultation is the right first step.

Read the video transcript