TMJ (which stands for temporomandibular joint, found in the jaw) disorder sounds like a pretty common enough condition. You hear a lot of people complaining about pain brought about by TMJ disorder–and “disorder” is the right term to use, because when you suffer from TMJ disorder, your jaw bones–the mandible and the upper temporal bone, to be exact–have been thrown out of alignment, and the effect of these misaligned bones radiates in the surrounding nerves, which in turn creates pain not just in your jaws, but also in your head, your neck, and your shoulders. TMJ disorder also tends to give you ear pain or cause ringing in the ears, because the TMJ is located so close to the ears.

Now there are some people who think that TMJ syndrome just appears out of nowhere, that it is something that just develops over time, while there are also those who believe that it occurs mainly because of a direct blow to the jaw, which would be powerful enough to affect the joints. It is true that the latter is one of the causes of TMJ disorder, but it must be said that TMJ disorder doesn’t just happen out of the blue. You might not have realized it, but there are some things you do with your mouth that causes TMJ pain. If you don’t have TMJ disorder, count yourself lucky that you can still be able to stop certain habits when you catch yourself doing them.

One of the habits that cause TMJ disorder is teeth grinding or bruxism, which usually takes place when you are sleeping. This causes unnecessary pressure on your teeth and your jaws, and the side-to-side movement of the teeth not only wears down the teeth, but also results in jaw pain.

Nailbiting is also another habit that can gradually cause TMJ disorder, as well as sucking your thumbs. Biting pen or pencils, excessive gum chewing, and eating hard or tough-to-chew foods also results in additional pressure and pain on your teeth and jaws, because they cause the jaws to work in exhausting ways.

Interestingly, stress can also indirectly cause your TMJ disorder, because whenever you are stressed, you tend to clench your jaws and teeth hard. The next time you catch yourself feeling stressed, feel whether or not your jaws are relaxed; you’d be surprised how often you actually clench your jaws. Consider stress, poor work habits, and a hectic work environment yet another habit you have to break to cure your TMJ disorder.

• How To Fix TMJ: Easy And Affordable Home Remedies
• What Causes People to Grind Their Teeth?
• Common Exercises Recommended For TMJ Sufferers
• How To Cure TMJ Headaches
• Teeth Grinding in Your Sleep - 5 Simple Solutions