Get Rid Of TMD Pain & Enjoy your life to Fullest
What Is TMD?
Temporomandibular joint disorder or TMD is a dental condition that affects the jaw joint. It’s often painful, sometimes unbearable. It’s one of the serious dental issues that often get ignored because the signs and symptoms are very similar to other dental problems. And if this problem is left untreated, it becomes worse, causing other oral problems.
Due to this, many people think that TMD can never be treated and they have to live with the pain forever.
Just like other dental issues, there are temporary and permanent TMD pain treatments available. Based on the condition of the patient, the dentists decide the treatment type. Before we discuss the treatments, here are a few important things about TMD disorder.
How to identify TMD Disorder?
In TMD disorder,
- People experience radiating pain in the face, neck, or shoulders
- Movement or locking of the jaw is limited
- A significant change is seen in the way the upper and lower fit together
- People feel pain when opening or closing the mouth
- People suffer from headaches, earache, dizziness, hearing problems, and difficulty in swallowing
What are the causes of TMD?
- Myofascial pain
- Dislocation of jaw or displacement of disc
- Degenerative joint disease
The major reason is when anything hits the jaw during a sports activity or the jaw is overused due to the frequent use of chewing gums.
Is TMD curable?
As already said, there are both temporary and permanent TMD pain treatments available in the industry. Dentists often start with temporary solutions because they are easy and sometimes, they show long-term results. In some conditions, the temporary options for TMD pain treatment prevent the need for permanent interference. But, the thing is both the treatments should be undertaken after consulting an experienced and reputable dentist. It’s because the proper evaluation of the problem is important before the treatment.
You should minimize jaw movements
We know it’s difficult but you should try to control TMD pain. You should try to minimize the jaw movement as much as possible, without hurting any other oral part. If possible, you should learn to keep the jaw in a resting position. If you learn this trick, you will alleviate the pain sooner and better.
Another way to minimize jaw movements is by taking over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the muscles are relaxed, TMD pain will go away. But as already said, you should consult the doctor for the same.
You should correct your posture
Correct posture and dental issues are generally not discussed together. But, for TMD pain treatment, the correct posture is very important. It’s because many times TMD pain occurs due to injury to the muscles of the neck that is caused because of the wrong posture.
You should learn the right posture from your dentist. If you are working for a long time in one position, you should stand and move for a few minutes.
You should use a hot or cold compress
This is one solution that is used for treating almost every dental problem. This is even used for TMD pain treatment.
If the pain is new, you can get relief from a hot or cold compress. You should apply the compress to the area of pain or swelling, every 15-20 minutes. This will reduce pain to a great extent.
You should exercise your jaw
Don’t be surprised; there are exercises for the jaw just like other parts of the body. The exercises include stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, and relaxation exercises. The result will take time but the effect will be long-term.
Regarding permanent treatment, dentists prefer surgery if the temporary treatment options don’t work as expected.