five-ways-you-can-get-rid-of-tmj-pain

Five Ways You Can Get Rid of TMJ Pain

Nov 03, 2021

The jaw joint, or TMJ, is an important part of the human body that can often be overlooked. It is located at the back of your head and connects to both your upper and lower jaws.

The TMJ has two joints that control the opening and closing of the mouth when chewing, singing, talking, or yawning.

Unfortunately, the joints can get bruised and damaged and lead to pain in not only your jaw but also other areas such as the neck or shoulders. If you are experiencing pain it is time to seek TMJ treatment near you.

This is because TMJ symptoms can be very debilitating, and without treatment, they will only get worse.

What is TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Disorder?

TMJ disorder is a medical condition that affects your jaw and its function. TMJ pain can be caused by excessive or abnormal use of the muscles in this area, such as clenching or grinding teeth (Bruxism) or injury to the joint itself.

Some common symptoms include:

  • Jaw locking
  • Popping or clicking sounds, followed by a range of different feelings from mild discomfort up to severe, throbbing pain
  • Sharp pains in your face, jaw joint area, or ear
  • Joint pain when opening your mouth, chewing, yawning, smiling, talking, and even while just resting it. TMJ pain mostly occurs in the joint, where the mandible meets the skulls.
  • TMJ can cause pain in the neck and shoulder regions as well. That is why TMJ treatment in Magnolia, TX, is not limited to just your jaw.

What are the TMJ Treatments?

There are a few TMJ treatment options that you can choose from to eliminate TMJ pain. These include:

  1. Medications 

There are several types of medications for TMJ treatment, including:

  • Pain medication
  • Muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs
  • Antidepressant medications.

The level of TMJ pain will determine the best kind of medication to use and for how long.

Your dentist near Magnolia will help you decide the best option.

  1. Therapies for TMJ

Many TMJ therapies help deal with this issue, such as

  • Physical therapy
  • TMJ exercises
  • TMJ appliances/mouth guards
  • Biofeedback therapy is a drug-free treatment that uses specialized sensors on the face to pinpoint TMJ problems. It has an 80% success rate in providing TMJ relief, and it is also effective for migraines! Biofeedback therapy is FDA approved to treat TMJ disorders.
  • TMJ injections. The most common types of TMJ injections are Corticosteroids and Botulinum Toxin–a neurotoxic protein produced by a bacterium that causes food poisoning and flaccid muscular paralysis.

TMJ injections can reduce TMJ pain by decreasing inflammation or relaxing muscles, but they are only used as a last resort when other therapies fail to provide relief. TMJ injections have potential side effects like infection and spreading of the toxin; therefore, you should know about them before getting an injection!

  1. Alternative Medications 

Some of the alternative TMJ treatments near Magnolia include TENS and Acupuncture.

  • TENS

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units are used to relieve muscle spasms or sensations. A TENS unit stimulates the body’s painkilling and anti-inflammatory systems by returning sensory signals from skin and muscles to the body!

  • Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique that uses thin needles to unblock your body’s energy flow.

Apart from the TENS and Acupuncture, you can also use heat and cold therapies that help to ease discomfort.

TMJ mouthguards can also protect your teeth and reduce the symptoms

  1. Lifestyle Changes 

Lifestyle change can go a long way in easing the TMJ symptoms. Eat a balanced diet – avoid acidic foods, processed food, and caffeinated drinks, stay hydrated, exercise, and get enough sleep.

What About TMJ Surgery?

TMJ surgery may be an option for patients who suffer TMJ pain, and the treatments have not been successful. Some surgical procedures that can be used include arthroplasty and complete joint replacement.

Schedule an Appointment

Visit Tamborello Dentistry for more information about TMJ treatment and which is most suitable.

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