February 5, 2026

What Happens When TMJ Goes Untreated?

A lot of people try to put off getting medical care as long as they can because they don’t want to spend the time or money on trying to get their condition under control. Although delaying treatment will save you time and money, it won’t spare you from the suffering and consequences of doing so. It is the same with TMJ dysfunction. One of the long-term effects of TMJ is that you run the risk of developing more severe symptoms, other health issues, and a lower quality of life if you don’t get treatment for TMJ. Why you shouldn’t ignore an untreated dislocated jaw is explained in the following paragraphs.

Continual Jaw Pain

Chronic jaw discomfort is among the first symptoms you’ll experience if you don’t get treatment for your TMJ issue. Perhaps you had jaw pain in the past. As you wait to get treatment for your TMJ issue, your jaw pain will only get worse and worse. It will progress from being sporadic to becoming a permanent source of discomfort in your life.

Acute pain is typically intended to alert your brain to a problem. The signal intensifies and leads to ongoing chronic pain when you ignore acute discomfort and do nothing about it.

Migraines and Recurring Headaches

Sometimes you could wake up with a headache or a migraine, but they will only get worse if TMJ untreated. The temporomandibular joint connects the jaw to the skull, which is why TMJ conditions can cause headaches. Your skull, your neck, and your back are all covered in muscles that surround the joint. Headaches might result from the inflammation of the joint, which can also affect the nearby muscles.

Inflammation will persist if treatment is not given, and damage will worsen.

Your headaches will consequently only get worse and more common over time. Pain relief from over-the-counter drugs is just temporary.

Joint Damage and Inflammation

Consider your jaw joint to be broken like a bone. The break will only worsen if you don’t place it in a cast and let it heal naturally over time. The jaw joint is the same situation. Your issue will only become worse if you don’t give it time to relax and mend.

More joint irritation and injury may come from this. In addition, you might need surgery rather than using an oral splint. Do not ignore your TMJ condition if you want to save yourself from expensive and uncomfortable future therapy.

Airways Sleep Disorders

TMJ issues are frequently brought on by a misplaced bite. Your quality of sleep is also impacted by misaligned bites. When your jaw is out of place in your mouth, it can potentially block your airway. This is known as jaw misalignment. Obstructive sleep apnea, a severe sleep disorder that prevents you from getting enough oxygen at night, might occur from this. As a result, you won’t get restful sleep and will wake up several times through the night. You’ll have additional symptoms throughout the day, including weariness and mental fog. Loud snoring at night can be a sign of a sleep disorder. You might have sleep apnea in addition to TMJ if your bedmate hears you snoring or wakes up throughout the night coughing and choking.

Dental Health Issues

Typically, clenching and grinding go hand in hand with TMJ issues. If you don’t get help, you’ll keep clenching and grinding your teeth. Your teeth will eventually get cracked or broken due to clenching and grinding. This may cause your gums to recede and necessitate extensive restorative dentistry to rebuild the strength and structure of your teeth. Untreated TMJ can lead to a variety of dental issues and future treatments that may be required.

Loss of Quality of Life

One major effect of effects of TMJ is that if left untreated it will cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms that can significantly lower your quality of life. Your chronic pain and frequent headaches may drive you to miss work more frequently, decline social engagements, and spend the majority of your time in bed feeling miserable. Furthermore, jaw pain can make it difficult for you to enjoy your favorite foods. You need to seek therapy if you’ve realized that TMJ is affecting your quality of life to lead the life you deserve.

Tinnitus

Imagine having a car alarm go off continuously throughout the day. This is what it’s like to have tinnitus all the time. Your tinnitus will only get worse if you don’t get TMJ therapy. You can have increased irritability and difficulty focusing.

Malnutrition

You’ll probably only want to eat soft or watery foods while your jaw is sore. This could have a significant impact on the nutrients you consume and result in malnutrition.

Abuse of Drugs and Alcohol

Many people seek respite from their suffering by using opiates, other drugs, or alcohol. You can increase your chances of using drugs and alcohol if you don’t get treatment for your TMJ.

Mental Health Issues

Untreated TMJ can also have long-term, difficult-to-cure effects on your mental health. Consider the following: when you’re not feeling well, you avoid social situations, take off from work, and find it difficult to enjoy your hobbies. In other words, you significantly reduce your exposure to the human condition. Being briefly ill has little to no impact on your mental health. This lack of social connection, meaning, and enjoyment, however, is long-lasting and will hurt your mental health if it is persistent, like untreated TMJ.

Development of Other Disorders

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are two more disorders that can be brought on by an unbalanced jaw. Even though snoring by itself may not seem like a huge concern, it can lead to sleep apnea and create trouble in your home. With obstructive sleep apnea, the soft tissues in your airway sag and prevent your body and brain from receiving enough oxygen while you sleep. These breathing pauses continue until your body panics from the residual carbon dioxide or oxygen deficiency and wakes you up to start breathing again. Sleep apnea may develop in the future if your jaw is already out of place, resulting in a tiny airway, to begin with.

Lifestyle modifications might not be sufficient if your condition is brought on by a chronic (long-term) disease like arthritis.

The majority of TMJ issue instances necessitate a change in lifestyle choices, in conjunction with TMJ joint pain treatment reduces pain and suffering.

To decide which course of TMJ disorder treatment Naperville is best for you, discuss your options with our doctor.

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February 5, 2026

Welcome to Suburban TMJ & Sleep Center

At Suburban TMJ & Sleep Center, care is a team effort. From the moment you walk through our doors, you’ll be welcomed by a knowledgeable and friendly staff who are committed to making your experience as comfortable as possible.