A TMJ disorder occurs when the two joints connecting your jawbone to the skull ache due to injury, damage, or displacement. The joint is called the temporomandibular joint. If you’re suffering from TMJ, you’ll experience a mild to sharp pain in the joint, and you may have difficulties opening your mouth or eating. Grinding and teeth clenching are two of the main causes of TMJ pain.
However, this’s not a reversible condition, and with proper treatment, you may be able to cure TMJ pain permanently. For starters, you should stop any habits of teeth clenching or grinding and anything that might put pressure on the joint. In addition, you must start taking a soft diet to spare your teeth from putting in too much pressure when biting on something, as this would lead to direct pressure on the TMJ.
Problems associated with TMJ disorder include neck pain, headache, ear pain, and many others. The TMJ joint is found on both jaws and helps one to open and close their mouths. Your jaw helps the mouth move in down and up, back and forth, and right and left sides.
Causes of TMJ Disorder
Like most medical conditions, there are several causes of TMJ. For example, you might have a pre-existing issue that has lasted for the better part of your life, which is coming and going and is the result of bite problems.
Although jaw imbalances or muscle strain is likely, trauma to your jaw or neck can cause TMJ onset. Unfortunately, not every cause has a treatment that can cure the condition. However, the disorder is controlled and managed with proper dental care.
Symptoms of TMJ
There are several symptoms. Some symptoms are hard to diagnose, but it’s understandable with a plethora of symptoms. For example, you’ll experience trouble swallowing, clicking or popping in the jaw, and facial pain.
Although the weirdest TMJ symptoms are those that don’t appear to have anything to do with your jawbone, other symptoms of this condition include blurred vision, persistent headaches, hearing loss, and sound and light sensitivity.
If you’re experiencing any symptoms listed above, especially in combination, you should go to the TMJ specialist near you and get assessed.
How Can I Permanently Cure TMJ?
In most cases, you don’t need to seek professional help as there are several ways to manage the pain and make it go away. However, if the TMJ pain doesn’t go away and affects your daily activities, you should seek medical help.
Some of the practices you can do to treat TMJ at home include:
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
If you’re a starter, you’ll need to stop bad habits like jaw clenching and teeth grinding. Also, avoid eating hard and chewy foods such as hard meat and chewing gum. Repetitive movement on the joint and unnecessary pressure can result in damage due to wear and tear and overuse.
Hot and Cold Compress
First, you should apply moist heat to the area. Our TMJ specialist in Pearland recommends using moist heat to treat joint injuries and pains. Moist heat temporarily relieves pain by increasing blood supply and promoting blood flow for muscle relaxation. It’s also effective in reducing stiffness and rigidity in the affected area.
When using a hot compress, ensure it’s not too hot to avoid burning your face.
For cold press helps numb the affected area and reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling. Cold compress and ice packs are good for TMJ triggered by arthritis.
Jaw Exercises
This’s the best way to get rid of jaw pain. Your doctor in Harmony Dental in Pearland asks you to do simple, smooth jaw exercises to relieve jaw pain. These exercises are effective in eliminating jaw pain.
Over-the-Counter Medications
If you’re experiencing unbearable pain, many over-counter medicines have no steroids which you can take to relieve the pain temporarily. However, your dentist in Pearland might prescribe the medication to you and stronger pain killers if required.
Surgery
In severe cases, dental surgery might be required to cure the TMJ permanently. There are two ways to address TMJ through dental surgery.
- TMJ Arthrocentesis or arthroscopy: This procedure involves proper joint positioning.
- Total Joint Replacement: This requires you to stay in the hospital for several days, and recovery lasts up to six weeks.