Thelma-Louise

TMJ in its purest form is when the tm joints do not work correctly due to their position. This can be felt and heard when one opens/closes their mouth as the joint will make a popping sound when the disc is not moving correctly and a small "jerk" may be felt as well.

But quite often the joints are ok (so there is no popping or cracking) and the problem is actually an imbalanced bite where a few teeth do not meet together correctly or at all. The imbalance leads to muscle stress so some refer to it as muscular tmj since there is not physiological problem (abnormality, deterioration, displacement) with the tmj joint or condyles. Sometimes this can happen as fillings (or crowns, bridges, bonding, etc) are done where the exact height or occlusion is not maintained from the natural tooth - and even if this is the case - it may take years before any symptoms arise. Also as we age, teeth may shift due to a number of reasons - periodontal issues (infections or bone loss), missing or broken teeth, - also clenching and/or grinding may cause shifiting due to the extreme forces put on the teeth. Signs that clenching or grinding may be the culprit are flat or worn tooth surfaces and a rounding of tooth edges and in extreme cases, surface cracks visible on tooth enamel or tooth fractures. Clenching/grinding also accounts for most jaw pain.

A good tmj dentist, neuromuscular dentist, holistic dentist or an ortho should be able to evaluate your bite and make you either a nightguard to help with the clenching or a splint that will help re-balance the bite and then changes to your teeth can be made permanent either through crowns, overlays, orthodontia, etc. to prevent this from recurring.

I am not sure what you mean by seeping in the mouth - could you elaborate a bit more? Are you tasting or sensing seepage such as from an infection within the mouth? Have you had your salivary glands checked recently?