TMJ Support Group
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ syndrome, is an acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment.
does tmj pain come and go???
The short answer to your question is YES.
The long answer is that like any other degenerative disease, the symptoms of TMD gets worse over time.
When it is in it's early phases, the symptoms may be infrequent or rare. As the disease process worsens, the symptoms become more regular in their occurance. When the disease reaches it's endpoint it can be constant and never ending.
One could make and argument that the severity of symptoms, and how often they occur, COULD be an indication of the severity of the disease, but I would have to caution you from taking such a simplistic view of such a complex disorder.
Always remember "ABSENCE OF SYMPTOMS DOES NOT INDICATE AN ABSENCE OF PATHOLOGY".
I have treated many patients who had very few symptoms but had very advanced TMD.
Lastly, I woud say to never underestimate the humand bodies ability to adapt to pathological conditions. When asked to adapt for too long a period of time, the body will begin to break down. That is when the symptoms will appear, and you will feel pain.
Watch this video, I made it to help explain what TMD is for my patients:
Go here: http://www.youtube.com/user/DrScottTamura
and click on the video that says "TMJ for Dummies".
Good luck,
Scott L. Tamura DMD, LVIF
DS TMJ Expert
So, yes the pain comes and goes.