What are the causes of TMJ Ankylosis?

• Trauma to the joint during an accident, fall etc • Trauma during birth, forceps delivery etc • Congenital or birth defect • Disease or infection in the joint, ear infection etc • Enlargement of the coronoid process • Depressed fracture of the zygomatic arch, condylar neck fracture etc • Surgery to or around the joint • Rheumatoid arthritis • Ankylotic conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis may also be inherited. • Destruction of the joint cartilage Since the condyle of the mandible is an area of bone growth, any inflammatory process in this region, no matter how simple it may be, always provokes a change in the development of the mandible. In most cases of true ankylosis x-rays of the TMJ show loss of normal bony architecture.  more