Can a Palatal Expander or Braces Cause TMJ?

Following a landmark lawsuit in 1987 where a Michigan patient received a legal judgment against her orthodontist for giving her "TMJ," hundreds of studies and millions of dollars have been spent by the scientific community to find if there really is a relationship between orthodontic treatment and the health of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Obviously this would be an important finding for doctors and patients alike. These studies have examined the different types of bad bite... more

There is no scientific evidence that braces or expanders would cause TMJ problems, Many patients that have TMJ problems have normal bite and never had braces before. The answer can get more complicated than this, but I'm trying to stay with the scientific evidence.

Is there a link between palatal expanders, braces, and TMJ? The answer is that there can be. In other words, braces can cause TMJ Dysfunction if the practitioner is not knowlegable about the relationship of teeth to the TMJ. Although there are multiple reasons for TMJ Dysfunction to occur, orthodontic tooth movement can be one of them. Any treatment that causes the lower jaw to retrude can precipitate TMJ Dysfunction. Therefore... more