Hi Friends! I'm Priya Mistry, the TMJ doc. Today I'm going to talk to you about TMJ Disorders
and hormones! TMJ Disorders are much more commonly seen in women - so much so that some research
indicates that that ratio of women to men having TMJ Disorders is 11 to 1! Imagine that - 11 to 1!
Like us women don't go through enough as it is! And the reason that that ratio is the way it is,
is largely because of hormones and the role that they play in TMJ Disorders.
If you watch this video until the end, you'll have a better understanding of all of that. For
those of you who don't know me, I'm Priya Mistry. I'm a General Dentist here in beautiful Portland,
Oregon with a practice where we are dedicated to taking care of patients with TMJ Disorders.
If you haven't already, please be sure to check out my Instagram. I post here quite
frequently with lots of information on TMJ Disorders, TMJ issues, etc.. so if you like to
geek out on that stuff, or if you're just looking for more information please check that
out! There's a lot on there as well. So let's get right into it! The Temporomandibular Joints - the
TMJs - are made up of a lot of connective tissue - tons of connective tissue! And that connective
tissue is highly under the influence of hormones, particularly Beta-Estradiol and Relaxin. Both of
these hormones - Beta-Estradiol and Relaxin - are linked to degenerative changes within the joint,
so by the time a lot of patients get to our door and we take our CT scan - our imaging that shows
us the bony components of the joints - those joints are looking pretty beat up. That does
not preclude us from having a good outcome with our treatment; we can still have a good outcome,
but we know that those joints are beat up and it's likely because of those hormonal influences
that are driving that. Relaxin is a hormone that loosens things up and us women need that hormone,
especially if we're going to bear children! It loosens up our hips,
it makes it so that we can go through the process of childbirth. Relaxin is also linked to ligament
laxity - so it loosens things up, it relaxes ligaments; and the negative influence that that
hormone has on the Temporomandibular Joints (the TMJs) is that it loosens up the ligament so much,
that the little disc of cartilaginous tissue within that joint can more easily get displaced.
When that disc is a little bit displaced, it'll click and pop and snick - and those are the noises
that we most commonly, most frequently see in the joints. When that disc is completely out of
alignment, then the jaw will actually lock closed. The ligament laxity loosening things up also makes
it easier for the jaw to lock open; it leads to a lot of hyperflexibility and so really Relaxin
can can make the jaw lock closed or lock open. It can contribute to clicking and popping,
so really Relaxin can serve us really well because it helps with childbirth. but it can also have a
really negative effect on the Temporomandibular Joints. Both hormones, Beta-Estradiol and Relaxin,
are found in much higher levels in women than in men. I've been doing my TMJ work for about two and
a half years and I have seen hundreds of locked jaws, and literally four of those patients have
been men. All the rest have been women, so that's really saying something. These hormones definitely
have an influence in TMJ issues. So that begs the question: what can you do about it? Unfortunately,
not much. These hormones fluctuate in women from puberty all the way through menopause, and maybe
even beyond.. so really there's not a lot that can be done to manage those hormonal levels.
But if you find a good TMJ dentist or a good TMJ physical therapist, they can help you manage
the symptoms, the problems that come along with these hormonal influences -I suppose - on the
joints. So that's really it, my friends! If you like what you heard, if you learned something new,
click "Like" below, SUBSCRIBE to my channel, feel free to ask questions,
make comments. I'm always happy to answer and remember - you can never have TMI about TMJ!