“Jaw discomfort restricts one's everyday activities and lowers one's quality of life.” Dr.Pushkar Waknis Maxillofacial surgeon

· One such painful experience for a large population is pain in the Temporomandibular Joint / jaw joint. It’s called as TMJ Pain.

· Occupational hazards and work related injuries are now a part of our daily lives.

45 year old Mrs. Manisha Chordia was facing a problem since many months of pain and inability to open the jaws. She was havingpain around the ear, difficulty in mouth opening or closing specially in the morning along with clicking sounds on moving the jaw.The Maxillofacial Surgery team at Saishree Hospital (SSH) Dr. Pushkar P Waknis & Dr Gandhali Limaye recently treated her for it.

After she underwent a 45 min to 1 hour operation called TMJ Arthroscopy last month at Saishree Hospital Pune (SSH), Mrs.Manisha can today lead a normal life.

Mrs.Chordia could also be one of the few people in Maharashtra to have successfully undergone a surgery for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, also known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The typical features are restrictions of mandibular movement, facial deformities, pain in the joints and many more

“Since I couldn’t open my mouth, and eating was very painful,  I was surviving on liquids and my condition was deteriorating rapidly. After the surgery, doctors have told me that I can eat everything and I feel like I have got a new lease of life with jaw arthroscopy. The jaw pain had crippled me in a manner that I wasn’t even able to enjoy the most basic things in life like eating or opening my mouth to brush my teeth. Now after the surgery, not only am I free from jaw pain but I can open my mouth as normally as I could before!” Patient said with a big smile of relief!

Dr. Pushkar Waknis, MDS, FIBOMS, MFDS RCPS ( Glasgow ) UK, Professor &Head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saishree Hospital, said: “TMJ Internal Derangement in simple terms is the improper working of the jaw joint called TMJ which is a small but complex joint of the face. TMJ arthroscopy is a minimal invasive procedure in which a tiny camera is inserted into the jaw joint and the joint is cleaned as well problems of cartilage can be corrected. After this surgery the patient’s quality of life has improved and she can do her everyday activities without discomfort.The main goal of this surgery was to re-establish function so patient can have a pain free mouth opening and have a good chewing, plus it is minimally invasive surgery in the form of Arthroscopy, with no visible scar.”

“The joint space is just approximately 25mm in total, about the size of your thumbnail, it necessitates skill and precision. The arthroscope utilized is as small as 1.9 mm. A joint arthroscopy can be performed to release adhesions in the joint that are causing pain. If necessary, advanced treatments such as disc repositioning may be undertaken.” Said Dr.Pushkar Waknis ,Saishree Hospital .

He further added, TMJ is the point of attachment of the lower jaw to the skull and it is the most complex joint of the human body.This type of operation was carried out at Saishree Hospital. The patient was put under general anesthesia and discharged home the next day.

People who have suffered from jaw pain have found that TMJ arthroscopy has improved their quality of life. While jaw discomfort may not appear to be a major problem to some, those who have experienced it know how much it restricts one's everyday activities and lowers one's quality of life.