Make Your TMJ Pain Go Away

You are probably familiar with TMJ, or the temporomandibular joint, that is referred to by this abbreviation. Your temporomandibular joints are situated just in front of your ears on both sides of your face. The TMJs, which help with actions like eating and speaking, join the lower jawbone to your skull.

The temporomandibular joint disorder is referred to as TMD. Any TMJ problem can come under this. The phrases TMJ and TMD are frequently used interchangeably.

When the muscles and ligaments surrounding your jaw joints experience inflammation or irritation, TMJ dysfunction develops. The illness could be acute or ongoing, and the pain it causes could range from slight to excruciating.

Injury to the jaw joints or surrounding tissues might result in TMJ dysfunction. Other TMD causes include:

• Teeth grinding/clenching, also called Bruxism

• Dislocation of the disc between the ball and socket joint

• Arthritis in the Temporomandibular joint

• Stress

• Acute trauma

• An improper bite

Common Symptoms Of TMJ

TMJ dysfunction is more common in women than in men, and in people between the ages of 20 and 40. The following are some of the most typical TMJ symptoms:

• Jaw ache

• Headaches

• Earaches

• Neck or shoulder discomfort

• Expanding your mouth wide is difficult

• Jaws that “lock” when the mouth is open or closed

• When you open or close your mouth, you may hear a clicking, cracking, or grinding sounds in the jaw joint

• A feeling of fatigue on your face

• Having trouble chewing

• Tinnitus, often known as ear ringing.

• Differences in the way your teeth fit together

• Swelling on the side of the face

• Toothache

Treatment Options

The question arises, what options are there for treating TMJ issues? Simple self-care techniques, conservative therapies, injections, and open surgery are all forms of treatment. The majority of medical professionals concur that conservative, nonsurgical therapy should be tried first and surgery should only be used as a last resort. The sections below will go through a range of TMJ therapies.

Non-surgical TMJ Treatments

If you have been given a TMJ dysfunction diagnosis, your doctor will likely first suggest conservative therapy choices. To relieve TMJ pain, many of these treatments can be used in conjunction with one another:

• Use cold or moist heat packs. For severe pain, place an ice pack on the side of your face and the area around your temples for about 10 minutes.

• Practice some simple jaw stretches (as instructed by your healthcare provider). Apply a warm washcloth or towel to the side of your face for about five minutes after these jaw exercises. Repeat this several times every day.

• Consume soft food. Eat soft meals like yogurt, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, soup, scrambled eggs, salmon, cooked fruits and vegetables, beans, and grains to keep your jaw from working overtime. Avoid chewy foods and foods that are hard and crunchy (such as hard rolls, pretzels, and raw carrots) (like caramels and taffy). Avoid chewing gum.

• Take pain medicine. Try over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), or naproxen (Aleve®), to reduce discomfort and swelling.

• BOTOX® Treatment. Many people get relief from TMJ after receiving an injection of BOTOX® into the affected and hurting face muscles. The injections frequently relieve headaches brought on by teeth grinding. Although BOTOX® treatment for the aforementioned disorders is still in the experimental stage, there is compelling evidence that it has the potential to be very beneficial.

If you are looking to get rid of this discomfort once and for all, go to the Gentle Dentistry website to book a botox for TMJ.