TMJ Disorder and How to Deal With the Pain

TMJ stands for Temporal Mandibular Joint. It is a joint that connects the jaw bone to the rest of the skull, with the actual joint located just in front of the ear. It is also probably the most used joint in the body as we use it for eating, speaking, breathing and swallowing. As such, it may be used up to 2,000 times a day. Because of this huge amount of use problems can sometimes occur, what is known as TMJ Disorder or TMJ Pain. This pain is usually located just in front of the ear where the jaw and skull link, but the pain can also spread to the cheeks, jaw or the rest of the ear as well as causing headaches.

Symptoms

The symptoms are sometimes not picked up on by people as they don’t always seem to relate to the jaw or don’t cause pain. Among these are the clicking of the jaw, frequent headaches, light headedness, ringing in the ears, tooth wear from stress and grinding teeth and earache.

What can be done to help?

Many doctors would recommend softer foods in order to let your jaw bone rest. Your teeth, and consequently your jaw, come under immense pressure through the day because of the amount of use your jaw is put under. Eating softer foods could take a great deal of stress from your teeth, for example. Not moving the jaw too much when it isn’t in use can also be helpful, though this is difficult for those who may grind their teeth or enjoy a sing along to their favourite song even! It is also advised not to open your mouth too wide when you yawn.

Medication has also been found to be very helpful. Common pain killers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen can help in the short term, although the above methods will help more in the long run. Consulting a dentist can sometimes help a great help too, as the alignment of the teeth and your bite can be major factors in causing TMJ pain.

Posted in: General dentistry
Tags: grinding teeth, stress, TMJ Pain, TMJ Treatment
| June 25, 2011 at 1:15 pm | No comment

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