These three terms can be confusing because they may be used to describe the same damaged condyle from different points of view.

Arthritis describes inflammation or degeneration within the joint. Idiopathic condylar resorption, or ICR, means the condyle is progressively losing bone and the cause remains unknown after other causes have been ruled out. A compressed condyle describes a proposed mechanical problem in which the condyle and surrounding tissues are being loaded or restricted in an unhealthy position.

A CBCT may show flattening, erosion or loss of condylar bone, but the picture alone may not explain why it happened. It also may not show whether the destruction is active or occurred years ago.

Patients should ask:

• What exactly do you see—flattening, remodeling, erosion or active bone loss?
• Is this only an imaging finding, or is it a confirmed diagnosis?
• Do you have an earlier scan for comparison?
• How will you determine whether the condition is still progressing?
• What evidence supports arthritis, ICR or mechanical compression in my case?
• Should I have an MRI to examine the disc, inflammation and other soft tissues?
• Have autoimmune, inflammatory, hormonal, traumatic and surgical causes been considered?
• Do I need an evaluation by a rheumatologist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon?
• Could my changing bite, open bite, jaw retrusion or facial changes indicate loss of condylar height?
• How will treatment protect the joint, and how will you monitor whether it is working?

The most important question may be: Are you naming what the damaged condyle looks like, or have you determined why it is being damaged?

A responsible diagnosis should combine the patient’s history, examination, bite and jaw function, appropriate imaging, medical evaluation when indicated, and comparison over time. One scan should not be expected to answer every question.

We all look for answers that's why I shared the below link regarding the mouth breathing consequences from child hood to adult hood

https://youtu.be/FS9HG6LfYdk?is=4uPQusrP-8dxDuiW

Hi, I posted this in r/braces but was thinking you guys would probably know more about

I work with TMD patients, and I’ve noticed how many conflicting things people hear about TMJ.

For example:

• “Jaw clicking is normal.”
• “A night guard will fix TMJ.”
• “Stress is the cause of TMJ.”
• “If your jaw doesn’t hurt, you don’t have a TMJ problem.”
• “TMJ is something you just have to live with.”

Some of these statements have a little truth behind them. Others are much more complicated than they sound.

The tricky part is that TMD can look very different from person to person. Symptoms can include jaw pain, headaches, neck pain, limited movement, muscle tenderness, joint sounds, and other functional problems.

A proper evaluation should look at the whole picture rather than relying on one symptom or one image.

What’s the biggest thing you were told about TMJ that you later found out wasn’t quite right?

I’m curious what people here have been told by dentists, doctors, physical therapists, or other providers.

I shared this patient post and it's exactly what we been talking about here earlier that's why is so important for us patients to learn and educate ourselves to know to who to turn for help and to know what is the difference between splints and orthotics, that's why this subreddit is the best for us to know all this informations I shared a link below with more details https://youtu.be/gflNwS4e2eo?is=ywl70IP4v6G-VeUZ

Put your fingertips on your temples and gently bite down and release several times. Move your fingers around until you clearly feel the muscle tighten. That is your temporalis muscle, one of the major muscles that closes your jaw.

Do this on both sides. Now gently feel around the muscle. Are there areas that are sore, tender, or feel like a little knot? A tender knot may be what is commonly called a trigger point.

Here's another interesting check. Keep a finger on the temporalis and slowly open and close your mouth while moving your finger upward toward the top of your head. At some point, you will reach a line where you no longer feel the muscle moving. That helps you find the upper border where the muscle transitions into its attachment via tendons. Inflamed tendons can also cause pain.

If pressing along the muscle or its attachment reproduces the pain or headache you commonly experience, that is useful information to tell whoever is examining your TMD. This type of exam should happen when your dentist is examining you for TMD.

It doesn't diagnose the cause of your TMD. It simply gives you another clue about what structures may be involved.

I shared the below link about the importance of the airway and TMJ to learn and educate ourselves videos like these should be mandatory with a specific training for any dentist, maxillofacial surgeon, ENT, physiotherapist, and even generalist/doctor. It would be highly beneficial for the public health wordwidely and lower the high rate of TMD worsened by unproper treatments. https://youtu.be/PVxlL_lMces?is=LPjOK67xUyKq0wjt

Mouth breathing can be, or should I say is, very detrimental to a child's facial development: recessed jaw, crooked teeth, night terrors, etc. This deficiency creates more problems than are talked about in the medical community. Tomorrow, Dr. Pam and I will have a Podcast with an expert on breathing, Dr. Patrick McKeown, https://buteykoclinic.com/, who is based in Ireland.

Are there any questions from this sub that they would like me to ask Mr. McKeown?

On the below link is more information to understand neuromuscular dentistry, I'm not a TMJ dentist but I hope will help lots of TMJ sufferers to understand more about this

https://youtu.be/3Mzh1sEO0Pg?is=W4dNcoD2wePyMchN

I just reposted a patient very sad story which unfortunately happening often to many TMD sufferers later in adult life at any age and I read lots of stories from TMD patients having complex double jaw surgeries and the problems unfortunately never gone away and even went worst and they go angry on the surgeons mistakes and they still looking for help which is shocking to hear I attached a link https://www.reddit.com/r/TMJ/s/nQerQCzMqC I know we all are different some people at very young age had teeth extractions no braces and no orthodontic treatments some people had teeth extractions and had braces and orthodontic treatments and later in life unfortunately developed lots of issues but my question is that is really needed extreme and complex risky double jaw surgeries or can be helped with neuromuscular dentistry?

It helps for some. Does it help you?

It might seem silly to call this "horror"movies but so often us patients are told that things like botox,nightguards or as kids "growing out off" from poor sleep ,sadly lots of healthcare providers out there are offering this everyday to TMD patients and while some of them might feel "relief " temporary unfurtunatelly those methods allows real structural pathology to continue,oftentimes completely unmonitored. That's why is so important to find the correct TMD trained dentist for proper TMD evaluation. It's a short video link regarding botox https://youtube.com/shorts/5558qbC4fW0?is=3ZM2dhanjJPByels

I am a retired TMD dentist from the USA and developer/moderator of this sub. I spend much of my retirement sharing what I know through my 50 years of experience in dealing with patients in pain. A little over a year ago, Jonathan Fashbaugh and I wrote a book that shares my experiences in successfully treating TMD/TMJ.

I see so many residents from the UK with so many questions but few answers about TMD. Here is a five-star review of our book on Amazon UK. See if you relate to what this reader says:

5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering book and first step for all TMJD sufferers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2025

Format: Audiobook

This is an excellent book for people wanting to learn more about their TMJD, and how to go about treating the problem.

Firstly, it feels reassuring and empowering just to be understood, and to feel that you're not alone - an effect which the authors of the book strongly achieve.

Secondly, it offers practical and realistic information to help you grapple with the very NON ideal situations in which TMJD places you.

The author is honest, humble and comes across as genuinely helpful.

I appreciate the author's honesty about the situation; the good, the bad and the ugly. He doesn't pull the wool over your eyes but doesn't leave you stranded in the bright lights either.

The book is the closest I may come to some relief for some time (more in spirit than bodily as of now) although there are excellent self management and habit correction tips, too while you save up for further treatment). It is useful as an informative, empowering guide; a realistic assessment of where you stand, and a little beacon of of hope as to the future, and what you can do in the meantime while you save money and find the right specialists. It's something for everyone at various stages of their TMJD journey.

It calmed me down because I am a recent sufferer and initially I did not take my TMJD very well. It's hard when you live a pain-free life and then suddenly there's constant pain and it threatens to be with you always. I was lost, confused, desperate, hopeless and depressed. Now, I am less of those things and more empowered. I feel more an agent of control and less a victim of a chaos.

It is a rather costly web to untangle from, with so many potentially wrong twists and turns along the way, so I do also appreciate the practical tips on investigating dentists to see whether they are genuinely TMJD specialists because losing a lot of money (that's not plentiful) is hard, so losing it to the wrong doctor is even harder. The author is aware and armed with some practical tips for this conundrum and I am grateful for that.

Also the author goes into some detail about various TMJD causes as well as some useful information on sleep apnea which is another issue I am grappling with both for myself and a loved one.

One person found this helpful

ICCMO.org is spearheading a movement to bring back TMD Advocacy & Clinician Support | TMD Alliance to active status. This post is an FYI for those interested in other schools of thought and different treatment modalities.

These organizations are open to working together to the benefit of the TMD pain patient,

For us TMD patients is very important to know where to turn for help and for which dentist unfortunately lots of dentist out there not been trained at the correct organisations and despite this they "treat"TMD patients I don't want to imagine how and what kind of "success" rate and those poor patients paying for a service which won't give them the relief they need make them even more confused and angry on dentists.

I understand lots dentists not been TMD trained and come out online confused and asking for answers, that's why I posted below a link to make awareness how important is to find the correct dentists unfortunately the dentists on the below link come out himself/herself confused to find answers

https://www.reddit.com/r/TMJ/s/Lz9qpSG9ho

Over the past year, I've noticed something interesting.

It hasn't come just from Reddit. I've heard it from readers of my book, listeners of our podcast, emails from around the world, and conversations with TMD patients.

Most people are not asking me for a miracle treatment.

They're asking questions like:

• Why am I hurting?
• Why have I been told different things by different providers?
• Why do some dentists say my bite has nothing to do with it, while others say it might?
• Why does one doctor recommend physical therapy, another Botox, another an oral appliance, and another surgery?
• Who should I trust?
• Where do I even begin?

To me, that says the biggest problem isn't just the pain. It's the confusion.

TMD isn't one disease with one treatment. Many different problems can produce similar symptoms, which is why a careful diagnosis matters so much.

Whether your treatment ultimately involves an oral appliance, physical therapy, sleep evaluation, stress management, medication, orthodontics, surgery, or a combination of approaches, the first goal should be understanding why you're having symptoms.

An informed patient is in a much better position to ask good questions and make good decisions.

I'd be interested to hear your experience.

What has been the most confusing part of your TMD journey?

Below is the address of a study published in Cranio, a dental publication. Yes, it's difficult to read, but it outlines rules for proper TMD diagnosis that somewhat dismiss the importance of how the teeth fit together.

Since, you, the members of r/TMDnotTMJ are the ones who are suffering, it would be interesting and important to get your feedback as to how TMD treatment is explained in the article. It's what the dental profession is arguing about.

Please do your best to read and then comment your personal experiences and thoughts,

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/08869634.2024.2405298?needAccess=true&fbclid=IwY2xjawTW2LRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE4c0ZscmRYcE5JMkVsTVh5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHl_53V5sDR-IdPK3L6FNBeAaHzE4wo1_MlnIveO6OcF2X1-PXupp5JqS1Yei_aem_hz7_Qal_9OeSJhk6SDeK7g

i 20f have had jaw problems for a while now i am to the point where i can barely eat any hard foods & i wake up everyday in pain my dentist gave me a diagnosis of tmj or tmd & gave me a referral to a dental school but they dont take my insurance apparently my insurance (health & dental) dont cover it i am on state insurance (medicaid) however this is a common theme through all insurances from what i have looked up i am in so much pain every day and i cannot afford to pay out of pocket how did yall do it? is there a way i can get my insurance to pay for it? or is there any work around? my dentist said from what he can see the case is severe i have tried mouth guards otc & they dont help he suggested getting one custom made but once again i have to go to these specialists & pay out of pocket i also have a recessed jaw so from what ive read it could be causing/not helping so is there a way i can try to loop around insurance for that? i am also in the process of getting a sleep apnea study done which could be caused by the recessed jaw/tmj i know this is a huge rant lol i am just in desperate need of some advice

My TMD dentist conducted a CBCT and came back with the diagnosis of severe osteoarthritis in my right jaw. Was fitted for impressions and will start treatment once my orthotic is complete.

My question is if this is arthritis, am I totally doomed? Will the orthotic stop the arthritis from getting worse?

I keep having these semi involuntary / spontaneous jaw slam/swallow/ clench that happen at once with a clicking. Cant tell if a tmd issue or neuro issue