How to Cure Your TMJ Disorder

The most common treatment for TMJ pain is a combination of heating pads and cold packs, a soft diet and anti-inflammatory medications. Of course, just as there are a whole host of symptoms of a TMJ disorder, there are many different treatments that can be used in different combinations in order to achieve a TMJ cure. Since the TMJ joint is one of the most used joints of your body it can be hard to treat.

Some of the TMJ treatments used the most are:

1. Heat and Ice therapy - These can be used to help reduce muscle spasm and tension. If the disorder is caused by an injury to the TMJ it is best to use an ice pack right away to relieve pain.

2. Jaw rest - In some patients where the TMJ disorder is aggravated by grinding the teeth together it's beneficial to keep the teeth apart as much as possible. These patients are also advised to refrain from chewing gum or eating chewy, hard or crunchy foods like raw vegetables, nuts and candy. It's also a good idea to stop eating big hamburgers and any foods that require you to open your mouth real wide.

3. Physical therapy - for some patients a TMJ cure is gained through exercising the jaw muscles. This is done by passively opening and closing the jaw, with massage, and by using electrical stimulation to increase the range of motion and the strength of the joint while reducing the TMJ pain.

4. Stress management - Yoga and its breathing techniques to help reduce stress is a good idea. You can also join stress support groups or get psychological counseling and medications that reduces stress and muscle tension. Some people seek a TMJ cure through biofeedback which helps you understand when you have increased muscle activity and spasms so you can develop techniques for controlling them.

5. Medications - Some of the most widely used medications use to cure TMJ disorders are anti-inflammatory drugs. Ibuprofen (like Advil) and naproxen (like Aleve) or steroids can help control swelling and tissue and muscle inflammation. Sometimes muscle relaxants like diazepam are used and in severe cases an injection of cortisone can be used.

6. Occlusal therapy - This is done by using an acrylic appliance which is custom made and fits over your teeth. It is mostly used at night to keep you from grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw muscles but it can be used during the day also. Its main function is to balance the bite.

7. Correction of bite abnormalities - Sometimes corrective dental therapy is used for TMJ cure. A dentist can use orthodontics to correct an abnormal bite or make adjustments of bridges or crowns to ensure you have a proper alignment of your teeth.

8. Surgery - Surgery is usually a last resort. It is usually suggested after other therapies have failed or in cases where there is significant damage to the tendons and bones of the TMJ. Surgeries may include ligament tightening, joint replacement or restructuring or TMJ arthroscopy.

Usually it takes a full dental and medical evaluation to diagnose a patient with TMJ disorder. Then it will be important to figure out the root cause if you want to use the correct treatment for your TMJ cure.