Are you suffering from chronic facial and neck pain or headaches? Are you experiencing any jaw disorders like discomfort or clicking? This can occur in relation to the jaw joint known as the Temporomandibular Joint(TMJ). Any limitation of the usage of these joints can be referred to as Jaw joint disorder.
Usually TMJ disorders tend to get resolved with self-care or non-surgical procedures. One should go for TMJ surgical procedures only if all other non- surgical methods fail. Based on the symptoms one can decide whether to proceed with a non-surgical or surgical procedure. In most cases if the symptoms appear to be bearable, non- surgical TMJ procedures can work out for you.
Symptoms of TMJ disorder:
- Difficulty in terms of opening and closing your mouth
- Feeling pain on TMJ joints( either in one or both of the joints)
- Experiencing frequent headaches
- Pain in and around the ears
- Changes in teeth alignment
- Experiencing ringing sound in your ears
- Having severe jaw pain when trying to eat, talk, or yawn
- Pain and stiffness around the neck and shoulders
- Experiencing grating, or clicking sound when moving your jaw
- Muscles in the sides of the head and face get weakened causing facial pain
Are you suffering from any of the mentioned TMJ symptoms? Do you feel like it is getting worse even after trying out non-surgical methods? If so, booking an appointment with an expert dentist is a must for timely TMD treatment and recovery from your condition. Dentists diagnose, treat and prevent the re-occurrence of jaw joint disorders.
How can you manage TMJ disorder at home?
In most cases, proper self care and home remedies can help you get relief from TMJ pain. One can try out various home remedies like:
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- Choosing the right foods to eat: Avoiding hard foods and having more soft foods like boiled vegetables help reduce jaw pain and discomfort.
- Correcting posture: Sitting long periods of time in an unideal position can cause more pain in your jaw. Using a back support chair while working improves your posture and hence helps reduce the discomfort.
- Sleeping Posture: Sleeping on your back using pillows as support for your neck can help reduce TMJ pain. One should completely avoid sleeping on the stomach and note to place your hand on your jaw if sleeping sideways.
- Limiting forceful jaw movements: Trying to restrict or control jaw movements that exert too much pressure on the jaw can help you get relief from TMJ pain and discomfort. Mostly yawning, yelling, singing when suffering from TMJ disorder, etc can cause overuse of jaw muscles and place tension on the TMJ.
- Exercising your jaw: Stretching jaws and practicing other facial exercises can help reduce TMJ disorder symptoms. One should practice such exercises only under the guidance of a dentist or TMJ specialist as the exercises will be suggested based on your present TMD condition.
- Stress management: Managing stress can help reduce TMJ conditions. One can practice various yoga poses, deep breathing, and meditation under the guidance of a TMJ specialist.
- Wearing bite guard: Using a bite guard can help you control your habit of teeth grinding or clenching as they can be one of the reasons for your TMJ disorder. Bite guards are made of plastic and they prevent your upper and lower teeth from touching each other.
- Using a hot or cold compress: Applying ice can help reduce the swelling and pain caused due to TMJ disorders, while heat can increase blood flow and relax your jaw muscles.
At Go Dental Clinic, your teeth and oral health is our primary concern. To have a consultation session for a jaw joint disorder evaluation, book an appointment online with us today or call us on +971 4 397 9522.
