General dentistry

TMJ Surgeries

Anatomy of the TMJThe TMJ or temporomandibular joint is a bi-arthoidal hinged jaw joint that allows complex movements such as chewing, swallowing, yawning and talking.It is made up of three bony surfaces the mandibular fossa, the head of the mandible and the articular tubercle. The articular disc separates the surfaces of the bone to reveal two synovial joints. It also consists of three extracapsular ligaments which are the sphenomandibular ligament, the lateral ligament and the stylomandibular ligament.

TMJ disordersA dysfunctional TMJ can be extremely painful and cause severe limitations to lifestyle. Some of the TMJ disorders are

Myofascial pain – pain and discomfort in muscles influencing jaw movements

Arthritis – inflammatory and degenerative category of joint disorder which can even affect the TMJ

Internal disorder such as derangement and displacement of the disc, trauma and injury to the condyle and dislocation of the jaw

Management of TMJ

ArthroscopyArthroscopy is usually done under general anaesthesia. A small incision is made in front of the ear. A slender lighted arthroscope is inserted through the slit into the temporomandibular joint for visualization along with other surgical instruments. The surgery attempts to reposition the disc, remove thickened cartilage and scar tissue, lavage the joint and tighten the joint.

Open joint surgery or arthroplastyA TMJ arthroplasty or open joint surgery is done when there are indications of bony aberrations, damaged and dislocated discs and severe adhesions. The patients present with intractable TMJ pain. Usually a choice of surgery for patients with intracapsularankylosis, the procedure aims at meniscoplasty or discoplasty, discectomy or meniscectomy, condylotomy, condylectomy and joint replacement (total or partial). An incision is made at the sideburn extending into the ear and the skin flap is reflected exposing the fascial layer. Then the TMJ capsule is exposed revealing the meniscus which is examined for abnormalities and subsequently repaired.

Arthrocentesis Arthrocentesis is done for patients presenting with displaced discs. Under local anaesthesia, the needle insertion sites are marked on the skin. There are usually two points one 10mm which corresponds to the glenoid fossa and the other 2mm point beneath the canthotragal line. A 19-guage needle is inserted in the first point and the joint space is filled with NaCl 0.9% saline solution. The needle is then introduced into the second point to fill the space with the solution. A total of about 400 ml NaCl 0.9% saline is used to conduct the lavage.

Practice Hours

Monday to Saturday

09:00 AM to 08:00 PM

Sparks Dental Centre

  • Spark Dental Centre
    AP-732, G-Block 2nd Street, 11th Main Road, Anna Nagar, Chennai-600040. Opposite To Tamil Nadu Reserve Forest Dept
  • +91-44-42123262, +91-6379749959
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