TMJ symptoms are a result of temporomandibular joint (joints connecting your jawbone to the skull) disorders. These disorders are responsible for tenderness of the mandible joints, facial and neck pain, headaches, earaches, jaw clicking, and immobility. Acute symptoms can affect your posture and crucial functions like your speech and eating process. Medical solutions are available to treat TMJ disorders. You can, however, reduce the magnitude of your symptoms in the following ways.
1. Perform Jaw-Stretching Exercises
Experts from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend routine performance of the following jaw-stretching exercises:
- Jaw-relaxing exercise. Start by resting your tongue on the upper roof of your closed mouth. Follow this by gently opening your mouth to separate your upper and lower jaws.
- Partial goldfish. Place your tongue on your mouth’s roof, a finger on either TMJ just in front of your ears, and another finger on your chin. Partially drop your jaw and close it again.
- Full goldfish. Perform this exercise exactly like the partial goldfish, but now extend your jaw to open your mouth completely.
- Resisted mouth opening. Gently open your mouth while pushing against your chin to provide a resisting force. Close your mouth slowly after holding that position for about three seconds.
- Resisted mouth closing. Open your mouth and hold onto your chin using your index fingers and thumbs. Gently close your mouth while applying some resistance to your hold.
- Side-to-side movement of the jaw.
- Forward movement of the jaw.
- Chin tucks
These exercises help stretch and relax tense jaw muscles, increase jaw mobility, and accelerate the healing process.
2. Eating With Care
Chewing foodstuffs is one activity that puts strain on your TMJ and aggravates your symptoms. When experiencing TMJ symptoms, it is in your best interest to steer clear of hard foodstuffs that involve a lot of chewing. Instead, settle for a soft, anti-inflammatory diet. This diet can include fish, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, yogurt, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, soups, vegetables, whole grains, and fruit smoothies.
This doesn’t mean you avoid other foods entirely, though. You can, for instance, cut foods like carrots and apples into bite-sized pieces and consume them in moderation while observing your jaw reaction. You should also opt for a minced meat recipe rather than the usual steak.
3. Use Ice and Heat to Reduce Inflammation
Healthcare providers suggest using ice and heat as elements that can help reduce inflammation and pain in your jaws. Ice reduces inflammation and pain, whereas heat helps relax your muscles and increase blood flow. With the use of ice and heat, you can perform a facial massage covering the areas around your jaws, temples, and cheeks. Follow these steps to administer the massage:
- To alleviate your pain and Inflammation, use a cold pack in a cloth covering and apply it for about 10 minutes around the back of your jaws and temples. Repeat accordingly on both sides until you notice progress.
- For muscle relaxation, apply a moist and warm cloth or towel to the mandible joints for about 10 minutes and repeat on both sides until you feel relieved.
4. Stay Away From Triggers
Triggers are activities that bring strain to your mandible joints. One way of reducing the strain on your TMJ is by avoiding situations that can likely increase your stress and anxiety levels. Anxiety is responsible for the subconscious grinding of your teeth and jaw clenching.
Drinking inadequate water leads to dehydration, which, in turn, denies your TMJ vital joint lubrication. When you feel like yawning, be sure to place your fist below your jaw to reduce the extent of your yawning and prevent it from becoming painful. Other triggers to stay away from include singing, yelling, and nail-biting.
5. Schedule Regular Dental Checkup
It is always a good idea to schedule regular dental check-ups with your doctor, who can provide you with pain relief medication. Healthcare experts in TMJ treatment Raleigh NC, can perform an extensive dental examination to determine any cause for alarm from your symptoms. X-ray and CT-scan are some of the technologies experts use to determine the degree of your TMJ disorder.
These are self-care practices you can rely on to manage TMJ symptoms while at home. It is best to consult a doctor or a dental practice specialist for other treatment options if you don’t realize progress with these measures.
