Your Best TMJ Treatment Options

Image by thecameo via Flickr

When the upper and lower jaw bones, connecting at the temporomandibular joint  (or TMJ, as it’s commonly referred to) become out of alignment or are overworked, TMJ syndrome can occur.

Symptoms of TMJ disorder include blurred vision, congested sinuses, toothaches, as well as more obvious pain in the jaw, neck, ears, face, head and sometimes shoulders.

Doctors and dentists can provide several choices when it comes to treating TMJ disorder. Such treatments for TMJ syndrome include special TMJ strengthening exercises, night-guard mouthpieces, corrective operations, bite therapy, and medications, vitamins, and minerals that provide anti-inflammatory benefits.

Most of the TMJ treatment options that doctors and dentists make are not extreme, and are easily followed at home. Consistency is important when using diet and jaw exercises as a treatment. Unfortunately in severe cases, surgery may have to considered, but because it is irreversible it is always the last option.

Sometimes pain may be experienced in the jaw area while chewing or talking and there is no need for concern. If the pain does not go away though, you must go see your dentist in order to get the proper diagnosis.   If you really have TMJ issues, the proper method to address the condition will be provided to address your specific symptoms.

Most health care professionals today will generally opt first for noninvasive techniques. There will be a change in diet from hard crunchy foods to foods that are softer and easier to chew so that pressure on the TMJ will be eased. Food with omega 3 fatty acids like flaxseed oil and fish will be increased as the omega 3 fatty acid gives an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces swelling in the TMJ.

Magnesium and calcium rich foods are also added to the diet to strengthen the jaw bone and help it heal faster from the TMJ syndrome. Routine strengthening techniques – such as raising and lowering the lower jaw and moving it from left to right – are often recommended to be performed five minutes at a time, five times per day. For these treatments to work, they need to be done consistently over a long period of time.

TMJ pain is very common in highly-stressed individuals, many of whom tend to grind their teeth together while sleeping, or bite down hard during intense circumstances in their hectic lives.  Night time teeth grinding is also known as bruxism and occurs in people of all ages.  There are several articles on this site that discuss bruxism in detail.

Mouth guards (much like those a boxer wears) can help to prevent teeth from grinding together while you sleep, or even during daily activity. People can also research ways to reduce their stress and deal with it in other ways aside from clenching their teeth.

After all other options are exhausted, medical professionals may suggest surgery where under anesthesia the joint may be cleaned out, replaced, or moved.

TMJ syndrome is a very intricate condition in which doctors and dentists provide a wide range of methods to treat it. Surgery will always be the last resort, and physicians will exhaust all other noninvasive options to ease pain and discomfort from temporomandibular joint disorder.

From my research I’ve discovered that programs like TMJ No More are often very effective in reducing or even getting rid of TMJ problems forever.

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