Overview of Some of the Best TMJ Treatments

What's the best TMJ treatment? Well, as with plenty of other disorders there isn't any simple answer or a miraculous solution that works for every case of TMJ disorder. The truth is that there is a different approach for different cases. However, the best way to choose the right TMJ treatment is to truly understand the nature of the disorder, to identify all the symptoms, the cause for the problem and together with a physician to choose the best treatment. The best way to understand this disorder is by understanding what TMJ and TMJ syndrome is? TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint that connects the skull and the lower jaw. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome is a type of disorder that can happen as a result of a variety of medical problems.

Bruxism, jaw thrusting, osteoarthritis, trauma, disease, lack of overbite are just some of the possible causes of TMJ syndrome. As far as the signs and symptoms they include pain in the facial muscles, ear ringing, ear pain, sounds when the joints move, swelling on the mouth and face at the affected side, troubles swallowing caused by muscle spasms, the lower jaw deviates to one side or doesn't open widely, etc. Even though there are more signs and symptoms that might appear as a result of TMJ syndrome the ones mentioned are the most common ones. Ones the symptoms and signs are confirmed as TMJ disorder, finding the best TMJ treatment is the next logical step. Most of the TMJ treatments are conservative ones. The main recommendation by most of the doctors is to try dealing with it at home without any medical assistance. If that doesn't work the Doctors can prescribe a suitable medical TMJ therapy. The doctors first recommend home therapy because most of the TMJ syndromes disappear in a week or so. That is so because during the period when the jaw is rested it can recover and the symptoms disappear.

The best home TMJ treatment includes eating soft foods, applying warm compresses on the area where you feel the pain and massaging the area that hurts. In case the pain is too big taking anti-inflammatory pain medications can reduce the pain. Aspirin or acetaminophen are one of the best over - the - counter medications that are said to be helpful in cases of TMJ syndrome. In case the home treatment doesn't help, the doctor can offer you few other medical options as well. One of the first things that almost any doctor will recommend is using a bite plate. Bite plate is a plastic guard that looks much like mouth guards used by sportsmen. The goal of it is to ease the muscle tension and reduce the teeth grinding as well as the clenching. This TMJ treatment has proven to be one of the most successful ones.

However, even if that doesn't work the next step would be to follow a procedure at the doctor's office. It is a procedure that is done under local anesthesia that includes inserting two needles in the temporomandibular joint. It is a simple TMJ treatment that even though is bit more evasive than the ones mentioned earlier has a great success rate. The relief of the pain caused by the TMJ syndrome is almost instant. The last is the TMJ treatment that no one wants to have and it is only to be done in absolute necessity. That is to do surgery. With the help of a surgery the jaw joints can be replaced with artificial implants. Such operations are very rare and avoided most of the times when faced with TMJ syndrome. The vast majority of the people find a cure with some of the other earlier mentioned treatments.