Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBenefitsTypes of SurgeryRecoveryComplicationsAlternative TreatmentsNext in TMJ Disorder (TMD) GuidePhysical Therapy for Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Benefits
Types of Surgery
Recovery
Complications
Alternative Treatments
Next in TMJ Disorder (TMD) Guide
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ)surgery ranges from minimally invasive procedures, like arthrocentesis and arthroscopy, to joint replacement surgery.
The temporomandibular joint acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. TMJ dysfunction can lead to painful jaw problems and reduced range of motion that can be difficult to treat.
TMJ surgery is considered a last resort when conservative treatments (like bite guards, physical therapy, and pain medications) fail to provide relief.
This article discusses different types of TMJ surgery. It explains how TMJ surgeries are performed, their success rates, potential complications, and what to expect during recovery.
Benefits of TMJ Surgery
The goals of TMJ surgery are to reduce pain and improve jaw function. That said, surgery may be considered to correct problems that give rise to TMJ syndrome, such as:
This type of surgery can be especially beneficial for those who:
Types of TMJ Surgery
TMJ surgeries include closed procedures like arthrocentesis and arthroscopy and open procedures like arthrotomy and joint replacement surgery.
Open surgeriesinvolve larger incisions and longer recovery times than closed procedures. However, for people with severe TMJ syndrome, open surgeries have more favorable results.
Arthrocentesis
Arthrocentesis, also known as joint aspiration, is the least invasive TMJ surgery.Arthrocentesisinvolves the injection of fluids (typicallyhyaluronic acid) into the joint space for lubrication. It does not require an incision.
Arthrocentesis is typically performed with local anesthesia as follows:
The procedure usually takes less than 30 minutes, but multiple treatments may be required. Arthrocentesis for TMJ has an 80% success rate.
Arthroscopy
Arthroscopyis a minimally invasive procedure used to remove scar tissues, smooth bones, or reshape cartilage discs in the joint. It involves tiny “keyhole” incisions that accommodate specialized surgical tools and a fiber-optic scope.
TMJ arthroscopy is done under general anesthesia as follows:
An arthroscopy is an outpatient procedure, so you’ll go home the same day. The procedure may take between 30 minutes and two hours. Arthroscopic disc repair has a 94% success rate.
Arthrotomy
Arthrotomy, also known asarthroplasty, is an open-joint procedure used to treat structural problems of the TMJ joint. The procedure can repair, reposition, or remove parts of the joint to relieve pain and make it more functional.
The procedure involves larger incisions and longer recovery times than arthroscopy. It is performed undergeneral anesthesiaand often requires a hospital stay.
Arthrotomy is performed as follows:
The surgery may last one to two hours. You may be able to go home the same day or you may require a short hospital stay.
TMJ arthrotomy/arthroplasty has success rates between 79% and 89%.
Joint replacement
Joint replacement is anopen surgeryused to treat people with severe TMJ syndrome. During the surgery, part or all of the temporomandibular joint is replaced. It is performed under general anesthesia.
Anopen surgeryinvolving larger incisions and longer recovery times. Although this is a major surgery, the results may be more favorable for people with severe TMJ syndrome.
This is an open-joint procedure that requires general anesthesia as follows:
Total TMJ replacement surgery has a 90% success rate.
Recovery from TMJ Surgery
After outpatient TMJ surgery, you will go home the same day and return to the office in a few days for a post-surgical follow-up appointment.
Surgeries requiring general anesthesia may require an overnight hospital stay for observation. After joint replacement surgery, you may need to stay in the hospital for up to five days.
How Soon Will I Recover From TMJ Surgery?
The amount of time it takes to recover after TMJ surgery depends on the procedure. Your jaw will probably be sore for a few days after closed procedures. Discomfort and swelling can last a week or more after surgery.
Three to eight weeks
Your surgeon will inform you when you can expect to return to work after your procedure. For minor procedures, this might be the next day. On the other hand, open-joint procedures may require several weeks off, depending on your job and the type of surgery.
At-Home Healing After TMJ Surgery
Depending on the procedure you had, you may have to wear bandages for several days. Your stitches may dissolve on their own or need to be removed at a follow-up appointment.
With most TMJ surgeries, you’ll experience swelling, bruising, jaw pain, and tenderness. To aid with healing:
For anywhere from one to six weeks following surgery, you should eat amechanical soft dietto reduce jaw movement and aid with healing. It may also be easier to eat smaller amounts of food every few hours rather than three large meals.
When to Call a Healthcare ProviderCall your healthcare provider immediately if you have any severe symptoms such as:Trouble breathingHeavy bleedingIncreased swelling two to three days after surgeryDifficulty closing your eyesSevere painTrouble urinatingFever
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have any severe symptoms such as:Trouble breathingHeavy bleedingIncreased swelling two to three days after surgeryDifficulty closing your eyesSevere painTrouble urinatingFever
Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have any severe symptoms such as:
Possible Complications of TMJ Surgery
All TMJ surgeries have risks, though complications can be more extensive with open joint procedures. Possible complications include:
Joint replacement can also lead to significant complications due in part to the limited lifespan of the implant. Over time, artificial implants can break or malfunction. This is why joint replacements are generally reserved for older adults to ensure that the prosthetic lasts for the rest of their lives.
Alternatives to TMJ Surgery
For people who are not good candidates for surgery, TMJ syndrome may be treated with:
When TMJ Surgery Is Not RecommendedEven if TMJ syndrome is severe, surgery may not be appropriate for those with non-structural joint issues(such as muscular jaw problems or nerve disorders) or deficient bone structure.It may also not be doable for those with a history of prior TMJ surgery failure.
When TMJ Surgery Is Not Recommended
Even if TMJ syndrome is severe, surgery may not be appropriate for those with non-structural joint issues(such as muscular jaw problems or nerve disorders) or deficient bone structure.It may also not be doable for those with a history of prior TMJ surgery failure.
Summary
TMJ surgeries include minimally invasive procedures like arthrocentesis and arthroscopy or more invasive open surgeries, like arthrotomy or total TMJ replacement. These procedures aim to treat jaw pain or immobility, and they have relatively high success rates when performed on appropriate candidates.
17 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.TMJ disorders.Renaparkar SK.Surgical versus nonsurgical management of degenerative joint disease.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2018;30(3):291-297. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2018.04.005Dimitroulis G.Management of temporomandibular joint disorders: A surgeon’s perspective.Aust Dent J.2018;63:S79-S90. doi:10.1111/adj.12593TMJ Association.Arthrocentesis.Rauniyar D, Upadhyaya C, Chaurasia N, Shakya M, Sharma S.Total temporomandibular joint replacement in recurrent temporomandibular joint ankylosis: A case report,J Surg Case Rep.2023;2023(7):rjad426. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjad426American Society of TMJ Surgeons.Surgical management of TMJ disorders.Kaiser Permanente.Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders.Sah Mk., Abdelrehem A, Chen S, et al.Prognostic indicators of arthroscopic discopexy for management of temporomandibular joint closed lock.Sci Rep.2022;12:3194. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07014-9TMJ Association.TMJ surgery.Insel OS, Reeve G, Israel H.Outcomes of minimally invasive TMJ procedures: a new quantitative assessment applied to 9 published studies.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg.2021;79(10_Suppl):e12-e13. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2021.08.023Yoda T, Ogi N, Yoshitake H, et al.Clinical guidelines for total temporomandibular joint replacement.Jpn Dent Sci Rev. 2020;56(1):77–83. doi:10.1016/j.jdsr.2020.03.001U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) implants.University of Michigan.TMJ arthroscopy post-operative instructions.TMJ Association.Preparing for surgery checklist.Hoffman D, Puig L.Complications of TMJ surgery.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2015;27(1):109–24. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2014.09.008Caliò B, Wenning GK, Fanciulli A, Colosimo C.Forehead and scalp gustatory sweating after temporomandibular joint surgery: an atypical presentation of Frey’s syndrome.Clin Auton Res. 2023;33(2):201–3. doi:10.1007/s10286-023-00931-3Gauer R, Semidey M.Diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorder.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(6):378-386.
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.TMJ disorders.Renaparkar SK.Surgical versus nonsurgical management of degenerative joint disease.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2018;30(3):291-297. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2018.04.005Dimitroulis G.Management of temporomandibular joint disorders: A surgeon’s perspective.Aust Dent J.2018;63:S79-S90. doi:10.1111/adj.12593TMJ Association.Arthrocentesis.Rauniyar D, Upadhyaya C, Chaurasia N, Shakya M, Sharma S.Total temporomandibular joint replacement in recurrent temporomandibular joint ankylosis: A case report,J Surg Case Rep.2023;2023(7):rjad426. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjad426American Society of TMJ Surgeons.Surgical management of TMJ disorders.Kaiser Permanente.Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders.Sah Mk., Abdelrehem A, Chen S, et al.Prognostic indicators of arthroscopic discopexy for management of temporomandibular joint closed lock.Sci Rep.2022;12:3194. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07014-9TMJ Association.TMJ surgery.Insel OS, Reeve G, Israel H.Outcomes of minimally invasive TMJ procedures: a new quantitative assessment applied to 9 published studies.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg.2021;79(10_Suppl):e12-e13. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2021.08.023Yoda T, Ogi N, Yoshitake H, et al.Clinical guidelines for total temporomandibular joint replacement.Jpn Dent Sci Rev. 2020;56(1):77–83. doi:10.1016/j.jdsr.2020.03.001U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) implants.University of Michigan.TMJ arthroscopy post-operative instructions.TMJ Association.Preparing for surgery checklist.Hoffman D, Puig L.Complications of TMJ surgery.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2015;27(1):109–24. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2014.09.008Caliò B, Wenning GK, Fanciulli A, Colosimo C.Forehead and scalp gustatory sweating after temporomandibular joint surgery: an atypical presentation of Frey’s syndrome.Clin Auton Res. 2023;33(2):201–3. doi:10.1007/s10286-023-00931-3Gauer R, Semidey M.Diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorder.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(6):378-386.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.TMJ disorders.Renaparkar SK.Surgical versus nonsurgical management of degenerative joint disease.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2018;30(3):291-297. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2018.04.005Dimitroulis G.Management of temporomandibular joint disorders: A surgeon’s perspective.Aust Dent J.2018;63:S79-S90. doi:10.1111/adj.12593TMJ Association.Arthrocentesis.Rauniyar D, Upadhyaya C, Chaurasia N, Shakya M, Sharma S.Total temporomandibular joint replacement in recurrent temporomandibular joint ankylosis: A case report,J Surg Case Rep.2023;2023(7):rjad426. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjad426American Society of TMJ Surgeons.Surgical management of TMJ disorders.Kaiser Permanente.Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders.Sah Mk., Abdelrehem A, Chen S, et al.Prognostic indicators of arthroscopic discopexy for management of temporomandibular joint closed lock.Sci Rep.2022;12:3194. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07014-9TMJ Association.TMJ surgery.Insel OS, Reeve G, Israel H.Outcomes of minimally invasive TMJ procedures: a new quantitative assessment applied to 9 published studies.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg.2021;79(10_Suppl):e12-e13. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2021.08.023Yoda T, Ogi N, Yoshitake H, et al.Clinical guidelines for total temporomandibular joint replacement.Jpn Dent Sci Rev. 2020;56(1):77–83. doi:10.1016/j.jdsr.2020.03.001U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) implants.University of Michigan.TMJ arthroscopy post-operative instructions.TMJ Association.Preparing for surgery checklist.Hoffman D, Puig L.Complications of TMJ surgery.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2015;27(1):109–24. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2014.09.008Caliò B, Wenning GK, Fanciulli A, Colosimo C.Forehead and scalp gustatory sweating after temporomandibular joint surgery: an atypical presentation of Frey’s syndrome.Clin Auton Res. 2023;33(2):201–3. doi:10.1007/s10286-023-00931-3Gauer R, Semidey M.Diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorder.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(6):378-386.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.TMJ disorders.
Renaparkar SK.Surgical versus nonsurgical management of degenerative joint disease.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2018;30(3):291-297. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2018.04.005
Dimitroulis G.Management of temporomandibular joint disorders: A surgeon’s perspective.Aust Dent J.2018;63:S79-S90. doi:10.1111/adj.12593
TMJ Association.Arthrocentesis.
Rauniyar D, Upadhyaya C, Chaurasia N, Shakya M, Sharma S.Total temporomandibular joint replacement in recurrent temporomandibular joint ankylosis: A case report,J Surg Case Rep.2023;2023(7):rjad426. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjad426
American Society of TMJ Surgeons.Surgical management of TMJ disorders.
Kaiser Permanente.Arthroscopy for temporomandibular disorders.
Sah Mk., Abdelrehem A, Chen S, et al.Prognostic indicators of arthroscopic discopexy for management of temporomandibular joint closed lock.Sci Rep.2022;12:3194. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07014-9
TMJ Association.TMJ surgery.
Insel OS, Reeve G, Israel H.Outcomes of minimally invasive TMJ procedures: a new quantitative assessment applied to 9 published studies.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg.2021;79(10_Suppl):e12-e13. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2021.08.023
Yoda T, Ogi N, Yoshitake H, et al.Clinical guidelines for total temporomandibular joint replacement.Jpn Dent Sci Rev. 2020;56(1):77–83. doi:10.1016/j.jdsr.2020.03.001
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) implants.
University of Michigan.TMJ arthroscopy post-operative instructions.
TMJ Association.Preparing for surgery checklist.
Hoffman D, Puig L.Complications of TMJ surgery.Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2015;27(1):109–24. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2014.09.008
Caliò B, Wenning GK, Fanciulli A, Colosimo C.Forehead and scalp gustatory sweating after temporomandibular joint surgery: an atypical presentation of Frey’s syndrome.Clin Auton Res. 2023;33(2):201–3. doi:10.1007/s10286-023-00931-3
Gauer R, Semidey M.Diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorder.Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(6):378-386.
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Is TMJ Behind Your Jaw Pain?Treatments for TMJWhen Surgery Is Used for TMJBest Physical Therapy for TMJ8 Things That Make TMJ Worse10 Exercises To Do for Jaw Pain from TMD and TMJ
Is TMJ Behind Your Jaw Pain?
Treatments for TMJ
When Surgery Is Used for TMJ
Best Physical Therapy for TMJ
8 Things That Make TMJ Worse
10 Exercises To Do for Jaw Pain from TMD and TMJ
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