I have discovered that when female patients are evaluated in my office for wisdom teeth, it is apparent most of them have TMJ issues. Issues which get progressively worse as the upper wisdom teeth develop. These problems manifest into headaches, earaches and constant radiating jaw pain. Therefore, I have discovered that upper wisdom tooth position may be the etiology of this problem. The wisdom tooth acts as an obstruction or deflector to the normal arc of jaw opening. As a result, stress and strain is directed toward the joint region and leads to dysfunction. The radiograph above illustrates the wisdom tooth in close proximity to the coronoid process or descending ramus. This is the typical position of wisdom teeth, when patients exclaim to having TMJ issues.
What have you observed in your practice ? Does this complaint mainly derive from the female population of patients?
Southern Georgia Oral Surgery- Hinesville and Statesboro, Ga. oral surgeon
Roger Myers DMD
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