Do you suffer with chronic pain in your jaw? Do you wake up in the mornings with a stiff jaw that makes it next to impossible to even bite into a piece of toast or some scrambled eggs? It sounds like you have TMD.
But the title of your article is TMJ Help, so what’s the difference between my TMJ and TMD??
Well, according to WebMD, your TMJ is the “temporomandibular joint, which is a hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull, which are in front of each ear. It lets you move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn.” But, TMD is when you have “problems with your jaw and the muscles in your face that control it.”
Here are some cheap ways to help ease your TMJ and make life less painful…
- Stop chewing gum!
Chewing gum causes continuous stress on your TMJ because it is constantly opening and closing the joint and irritating it. Think about when you have a bug bite… when it is itchy and you continue to scratch and pick at it, it only gets worse. Your TMJ is the same; the more you use it the more it will become sore and hurt. Switch from gum to small dissolvable mints that you don’t have to chew or squishy mints that don’t take long to chew and dissolve as you do so.
- Cut up your food.
The bigger your food is the harder it is to chew and the longer it takes to chew it. If you cut up your food smaller, you don’t have to open your mouth up too much to place it in your mouth and it takes less time to chew it, thus not stretching the jaw as much.
- DON’T YAWN!
Sounds impossible right? We have all heard the saying that “yawning is contagious” so how do you propose I stop doing something I can’t control in the 1st place?? Well….. there are ways my friend! When you feel a yawn coming on, make a fist and place your knuckles directly under your jaw and press upward. This is to keep you from opening your mouth and over extending your jaw as you yawn. Trust me, this has helped me significantly!
- Ice and Medicate
It sounds dumb but your pain is most likely coming from inflammation in the joint. A bag of peas, ice pack or any other frozen food should be able to help you. Place the ice right to the inside area in front of your ear for intervals of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Also take an over the counter anti-inflammatory and maybe enjoy a glass of wine to wash it down with.
If none of these suggestions help, I suggest scheduling a visit with your local dentist to check you out. He may suggest making a bite appliance for you to wear at night so you are not clenching or grinding your teeth while you sleep. Or in extreme cases he might recommend you to an oral surgeon for surgery. But we hope it doesn’t get that bad. Best wishes and feel better soon!
Articles Cited
Article from WebMD https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd#1
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Your article is right on the money! I’m a Dental Hygienist and that’s exactly what your Dentist and Hygienist will recommend. And definitely talk to your dentist about the issue your having because for some we would recommend a bite appliance.