CT scan of the temporomandibular joint

The temporomandibular joint is the busiest joint in the body: it works several thousand times a day. When something goes wrong with it, the symptoms often look like something else — headaches, earache, tension in the neck. That is why people spend years going to neurologists and ENT doctors before anyone checks the joint.

When a scan is needed

• Clicking or crunching when you open your mouth.
• Pain in the area in front of the ear, especially in the morning or after chewing.
• The mouth does not open fully or it opens with a shift to one side.
• The jaw “locks” — suddenly you can neither open nor close your mouth.
• Bruxism — clenching and grinding of the teeth, worn-down teeth.
• Before major prosthetic or orthodontic work. Changing the bite without first sorting out the joint can make the problem worse.

The protocols we offer

Your doctor decides which protocol is needed, because it depends on what they are looking for. If you have been given a prescription, read it out to us over the phone 067 478 87 78 — and we will tell you which line of the price list it matches.

What a CT scan shows and what it does not

It shows: the shape and size of the condylar head, the state of the bone surface, signs of arthrosis, the position of the head in the fossa, the symmetry of the right and left joints, and the range of movement in the functional protocol.

It does not show: the articular disc, the ligaments or the muscles — these are soft tissues, and an MRI is needed for them. The two studies often complement each other: a CT scan answers the questions about bone, an MRI those about the disc.

How the scan is done

You sit down, your head is held in place and the unit makes one rotation — a few dozen seconds. With the functional protocol the procedure is repeated twice: first with the mouth closed, then with it open (for the second position you are given a special spacer). Both joints are scanned at the same time, so there is no extra charge for the second side.

Radiation exposure

The unit selects the dose itself according to the patient's height and build, so the figure varies: 10–15 µSv per study. The annual dose a person receives from background radiation alone is about 4,000 µSv. So a CT scan of both jaws is roughly 0.4% of what you will receive over a year anyway, and less than a few hours on a plane.

We take the scan and hand it over — the report and the treatment plan are made by your own doctor, because the decision depends on the clinical picture they see in the chair. If you do not have a doctor of your own, you can show the scan to the head doctor at Houston — with a CT of both jaws that consultation is free of charge.

At the Houston clinic the joint is looked after by a separate speciality — so if you need treatment after the scan, you can be seen in the same place. About bruxism and teeth grinding.