{"id":83,"date":"2025-10-06T16:15:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T16:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/?p=83"},"modified":"2025-11-07T16:16:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:16:18","slug":"not-treating-tmj-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/2025\/10\/06\/not-treating-tmj-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can Happen if You Don\u2019t Treat a TMJ Disorder?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/2025\/10\/06\/not-treating-tmj-disorder\/\" class=\"block-image-link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-300x200.png\" alt=\"Man tapping his chin in a questioning pose\" class=\"wp-image-84\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image.png 523w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/tmj-tmd-therapy.html\">TMJ disorder<\/a> (also known as TMD), and it is rather bothersome. But you can\u2019t help but wonder whether it\u2019s worth investing in treatment. Will your disorder get worse with time, or will it mostly stay the same? What can happen if you <em>don\u2019t <\/em>treat your TMD?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since TMD has to do with the physical alignment of the joint connecting your upper and lower jaw, your symptoms likely won\u2019t improve with time. In fact, you might start to experience one of the following discomforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chronic Facial Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some types of pain do go away on their own. But if you have TMD, the source of your discomfort isn\u2019t a sore muscle or simple injury. The problem is your jaw joint is experiencing excess strain, either due to anatomy or less-than-ideal habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the problem still exists, your brain will continue to receive pain signals from the nerves in that area, to the point where they become chronic. Without treatment, surrounding muscles and ligaments can also become strained, leading to more frequent headaches and general facial pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dental Damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say bruxism (grinding and clenching your teeth) is contributing to your TMD. Then the extra stress will wear down your pearly whites faster than normal. As grinding and clenching chips away at your enamel, your teeth will gradually become weaker, and might even fracture or break. A nightguard treatment can protect your smile while also relieving the strain on your TMJ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ear Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What does a joint near your mandible have to do with your ears? As it turns out, a lot! The TMJ is actually located just below your ears, so if it\u2019s misaligned, it can actually make your ears ache. Not only that, but a TMD can also cause <em>tinnitus<\/em>, a condition characterized by ringing, buzzing, or humming in the ears. In some cases, ear aches and tinnitus can even make it harder to hear or process the sounds around you. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many good reasons to treat your TMJ disorder. For one thing, this condition can result in some pretty serious long-term health issues. For another thing, pain relief alone makes the investment worth it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/dr-amanda-hyland.html\">Dr. Amanda Hyland<\/a> is our TMD expert here at Hyland Dental. She\u2019s completed over 200 hours of continuing education courses for TMD treatment and orthodontics, and is dedicated to helping her patients find pain relief through quality dental solutions. If you\u2019d like to explore your TMD treatment options, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/contact.html\">contact<\/a> Dr. Hyland and Dr. Hempen\u2019s office at 507-387-3249.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You have a TMJ disorder (also known as TMD), and it is rather bothersome. But you can\u2019t help but wonder whether it\u2019s worth investing in treatment. Will your disorder get worse with time, or will it mostly stay the same? What can happen if you don\u2019t treat your TMD? Since TMD has to do with the physical alignment of the joint connecting your upper and lower jaw, your symptoms likely won\u2019t improve with time. In fact, you might start to experience one of the following discomforts. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hylanddental.net\/blog\/2025\/10\/06\/not-treating-tmj-disorder\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Can Happen if You Don\u2019t Treat a TMJ Disorder? | Hyland Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it worth treating a TMJ disorder, or can you get by without doing so? 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