TMJ Health (Farmington Hills, MI) has received FDA clearance for the TMJ NextGeneration Device to alleviate temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) pain. TMJD affects the jaw joint, surrounding muscles, and nerves, leading to chronic pain and poor quality of life. According to the NIH, more than 35 million Americans suffer from TMJD, which includes symptoms such as pain in the face, jaw or neck, jaw muscle stiffness, and sharp pain around the ears. TMJD has conventionally been treated with bite splints to reduce the amount of grinding of the teeth that causes the sharp pain. These splints cannot be worn while eating, are known to affect speech, and cause long term damage to the joints.

The TMJ NextGeneration device treats the TM joint pain in the ear canal, which happens to be near the temporomandibular joint. The device consists of two hollow ear canal inserts that rest in the outer part of the ear canal and allow full transmission of sound due to their hollow construct. The device is also easy to remove thanks to the retraction posts that are built into it.  The device is discreet, not noticeable from the outside, and makes use of the dynamic change in the ear canal geometry when the jaw is opened or closed through movements such as chewing and smiling. The device is 20% larger in size compared to the ear canal when jaws are closed, and this change in ear canal space applies light pressure against the walls of the ear canal to encourage the patient to return to the open jaw position while reducing the inclination to clench the jaw. All TMJ Next Generation devices are custom built to match the patient’s unique anatomy.

source:TMJ Health