The temporomandibular joint or commonly referred as the acronym TMJ is the hinge joint located in front of your ear that connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone of the skull. The joints are flexible and are controlled by the muscle attached to it that enables chewing, yawning, and talking. People with TMJ disorders can feel severe pain in the area surrounding the joint that sometimes include neck pains, headaches, clicking sound when you chew, difficulty in biting, and a jaw position that is hard to open.
The pain can be temporary but in some cases it lasts for years. It can be caused by an injury or simply the wear and tear of the joint being overused. Tension or anxiety often contributes in the excessive use of the joint. TMJ disorders can be difficult to cure but there are different TMJ treatments that you can do to alleviate the discomfort.
Be gentle with your jaw. The primary goal of TMJ treatment is keeping the workload on your jaw to a minimum. Avoid hard, crunchy, or chewy foods for these require more joint activity. Also avoid large or thick foods that require you to open your mouth wide. Eat soft foods like mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, cheese, and small foods like beans or grains. Or you can chew less by simply slicing your food to small pieces. You will also have to avoid extreme movements such as shouting and singing.
Apply warm and cold compress. Alternating hot and cold packs promote a therapeutic effect on the affected part. For about 10 minutes, apply a cold pack on each side of your face then do a simple jaw stretching such as opening and closing the jaw from side to side. Apply a warm washcloth on the same area after the exercise for 20 minutes and do this routine three to five times each day.
Wear a splint or a mouthguard. Many TMJ sufferers grind their teeth at night, a condition otherwise known as bruxism. This puts a lot of stress in the joint that is why plastic mouthpieces that fit between the upper and lower teeth or mouthguards are necessary during hours of sleep. On the other hand, splints are used all the time to prevent deviation and correct bite positioning. A bite problem can also be corrected by balancing bite surfaces through dental treatments such as replacing missing teeth or by the use of braces.
Maintain a good posture. Observing a good body alignment helps the jaw to sit properly and reduce neck and facial pain. Do not let your neck be in awkward positions as in placing the telephone between your shoulder and ear or resting your chin on your hand. Underlying problems such as scoliosis can be the contributory factors to TMJ. So as soon as you learn how to align your body and balance the muscles, you are good to go with your TMJ treatment.
Consider taking medication. Sometimes the pain can be very excruciating and it is just right to include taking medications in your TMJ treatment. You can let your doctor prescribe an anti-inflammatory drug, which are also available over-the-counter, such as ibuprofen to relieve muscle pain and swelling. In some cases, doctors may prescribe anti-anxiety drugs or antidepressants to relieve stress which is thought to aggravate TMJ disorders.
These low-risk and definitely low cost TMJ treatments are easy to follow and definitely worth considering. Doctors often promote these self-care practices and non-surgical therapies first before finally resorting to jaw surgery if all treatments fail.
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