Self help solutions to ease the pain caused by TMJ

COLUMBUS, OH – Headaches, facial pain, neck pain, strange noises in your ears, clicking jaw joints – all symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction and all difficult to live with.  If you are suffering from any one or more of these symptoms you could have a TMJ problem.  Until you are able to get an appointment with your neuromuscular dentist here are some do-it-yourself suggestions that can help alleviate your discomfort.

Remember that ice is your friend.  Gel ice packs are available at your local pharmacy and are easy to apply to the jaw area.  Just like you might apply ice to a sprained ankle, ice on the temporomandibular joint helps reduce swelling and pain.  If you can tolerate ibuprofen, it is a wonderful drug to reduce inflammation and help begin healing.

Modify your diet.  Again, think of your injured jaw joint like a sprained ankle.  Every time you eat hard or chewy foods, you are “running” on that jaw joint.  Place yourself on a non-chew soft diet.  Nothing harder than the consistency of cooked pasta.  No chewing gum or ice and stifle your yawns as much as possible.  In general, minimize using your mandible as much as possible.

Gentle passive exercises to strengthen the muscles of the temporomandibular joint  and mouth area are important to maintain a healthy range of motion.  A referral to a qualified physical therapist is always beneficial in getting the TMJ muscles relaxed and pain free.

Treating temporomandibular joint dysfunctions is not something that every dentist is trained to do.  The jaw joint is among the most complex in the human body and it takes advanced training in neuromuscular dentistry  to effectively treat these types of cases.  Dr. Mark Levy is an LVI Fellow which means he has attained the highest levels of neuromuscular training at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies.

These self-help tips will not “cure” your TMJ problem but may help make you more comfortable until your appointment with Dr. Levy.  Please contact us today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your consultation.