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Hello tingu and welcome. You're right. However, the jaw joints will move or work with articular joint/disc problems. Worn, eroded, torn or degenerated cartilage does usually cause problems.  

Articular cartilage, also called hyaline cartilage, is the smooth, glistening white tissue that covers the surface of all the diarthrodial joints in the human body. As its name implies, articular cartilage is critical in the movement of one bone against another.

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~msbioe/hyaline.html

The temporomandibular joint is a diarthrodial joint between the mandible and the temporal bone of the skull. It is also known as the jaw joint or simply the TMJ. The articular disc of the TMJ is situated between the condylar head of the mandible and the glenoid fossa of the temporal bone. 20-25% of the population have symptoms of a temporomandibular disorder (TMD) while only 3-4% of the population seek treatment. About 70% of reported TMD cases are attributed to pathologies involving the disc.

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~msbioe/tmj.html


Cymy Sue

How long does it  take for a disc to erode or deteriorate....
I doubt anyone knows for sure and I suppose everyone would be different in that respect.

I think a general type erosion from wear would take a long time compared to an injury or trauma to the face or jaws. I was told I most likely was injured at birth. I started having bad symptoms in my teens and the cartilage was tiny shreds when they removed it when I was 38. I think it had been badly damaged for many years at that time. I have no way of knowing for sure.

(I had my articular disc replaced with ear cartilage in 1992. It started to erode in about 2 years. However, ear cartilage does not have the same makeup as articular cartilage and it will not hold up very well in most people.)

I'm sorry I'm not able to answer with more scientific information, but  the information we find is basically general and everyones story is different.

I am told that the way they determine disc size with x-rays is to look at the space between the bones.
I've seen it with my back and knee x-rays. The disc space in the TM joint is small comparably, but  I believe most doctors or techs with experience to know what they're looking at will see that space. (if there's any there or if it's smaller than it should be.)

I've seen mine. I have no disc, so there's no space at all.

Also, you will find doctors and dentist who can diagnose TMJ problems with the symptoms you're having.
They look at your bite, how you speak and if you're joints work in unison among other visible anomalies.

An MRI is the only way to see soft tissue damage. It was hard to get one during my treatment years unless you were going to have surgery. I hope that has changed.

I hope I've helped and will happily answer any other questions that I can.


Thanks on the avatar....