Welcome to The TMJ Association!

We're glad you're here. You're not alone.

The TMJ Association, Ltd. (TMJA) is a nonprofit, patient advocacy organization whose mission is to improve the quality of health care and lives of everyone affected by temporomandibular disorders (TMD). For over 25 years we have shared reliable information on TMD with people like you and invite you to read our website.

Terrie Cowley - President and Co-Founder

Think You May Have TMJ Disorders?

1) FIRST, try eating soft foods, using ice packs, and avoiding extreme jaw movements, like yawning and gum chewing. Short-term use of over-the-counter or prescription pain medicines may also provide relief.

2) AVOID treatments that cause permanent changes in the bite or jaw. This includes crown work, bridge work or orthodontics to change the bite, grinding down teeth (bite adjustment), or repositioning splints.

3) AVOID surgical treatment, where possible. There have been no long-term studies to test the safety and effectiveness of these procedures.

Dear Doctor Magazine and The TMJ Association, Ltd. Join Forces to Educate the Public about Temporomandibular Disorders

Dear Doctor - Dentistry & Oral Health magazine, the nation's leading source of dental healthcare advice for consumers, today announced a new partnership with The TMJ Association, Ltd. (TMJA) that will bring the most up-to-date information to people suffering from temporomandibular disorders, also known as TMJ. Read more about our new partnership.

The latest Dear Doctor article, "Chronic Jaw Pain and Associated Conditions", is now available. Click here to read this article.

Medical devices report released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded the 510(k) process lacks the legal basis to be a reliable premarket screen of the safety and effectiveness of moderate-risk devices, and furthermore, that it cannont be transformed into one. Read more.

Donate and make a difference! Help find effective treatments for TMJ Disorders. The TMJ Association is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 patient advocacy organization that relies solely on the generous donations from people like you to fund vital TMD research and awareness efforts.

Katherine's Story

I was diagnosed with TMD over 15 years ago. I was only in the 8th grade and really didn't know what was going on, except that my jaw sometimes locked open and popped or cracked if I chewed gum for a long time. There wasn't a lot of pain. The pain didn't start to get bad until I was in graduate school in 2007. Maybe it was the stress of grad school that exacerbated the symptoms or maybe it was just a coincidence; I'll never know.
This is my story.

Seventh Scientific Meeting of The TMJ Association

The Seventh Scientific Meeting of The TMJ Association - Genetic and Epigenetic Basis of Temporomandibular Disorders and Related Chronic Overlapping Conditions Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Bethesda, MD, September 7-9, 2014

Let’s hear it for Mindfulness Meditation!

The National Institutes of Health re-established a cross-institute Pain Consortium about a decade ago to increase pain research and promote inter-institute collaboration. The consortium holds annual symposia and invites young investigators to submit post

Is Botox Safe and Effective for TMD?

As TMJ patients search for alternative treatments to manage their pain, a doctor may have suggested the possibility of trying Botox injections directly into the chewing (masseter and temporalis) muscles to relax these muscles.

Social Security Disability Benefits and Temporomandibular Disorders

Last month we began our report on findings in OPPERA's Act Two," the second series of analyses of data from the Orofacial Pain Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study, which enrolled healthy volunteers at four campus sites in C

Who Owns YOUR TMJ Implant?

Especially during this past year, it’s been brought to our attention by a number of TMJ implant patients having their implants removed that their surgeon told them the devices MUST be returned to the manufacturer. We asked the Senate Health, Educat

Who is affected by TMJ disorders (TMD)? What are the causes, symptoms, and treatments? How are they diagnosed? Find answers to all your TMD questions.