TMJ Arthroscopy

TMJ Surgery doesn’t have to mean difficult recoveries and lots of pain. Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery technique for treating the TMJ.

arthroscopy-images
This is a picture of the view from the TMJ camera showing “adhesions” or bands. These bands cause clicking, popping and locking. Arthroscopy can free-up these bands to allow smooth movement again of the jaw

Indications: For patients with painful clicking, popping and locking joints.

Types of arthroscopy:

  1. Diagnostic Arthroscopy (looking and washing fluid through the joint)
  2. Arthroscopic Lysis and Lavage (removing adhesion bands and washing fluid through the joint)
  3. Surgical Arthroscopy (removing adhesions, washing fluid through and physically repositioning the disk to its appropriate location)

Goals of Surgery:

  1. Diagnosis of the joint based on actual visualization (as opposed to MRI or CT scans)
  2. Repair disk
  3. Replace disk to its natural position
  4. Biopsy if necessary
  5. Smooth bony growths call osteophytes (often found in diseased joints)

Recovery:

Recovery is much easier than open joint surgery

Patients have no incisions with this surgery. You will have only 2 stitches with this surgery.

You should expect to have resolution of majority of symptoms in 80% of people within 4 weeks.

What does the research say?

  • 86.7-93% successful outcome