When your TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is normal, it’s easy to take jaw function for granted. The temporomandibular joints move the jaw to open and close the mouth while chewing, talking, yawning and other motions. They endure a significant amount of pressure during these activities. As a result, they are vulnerable to problems within the joint itself or in the muscles that control movement. When your jaw isn’t functioning as it should, it’s important to know what to do and what not to do.
Table of Contents
Applying an ice pack to the TMJ can help to decrease inflammation, numb pain, and promote healing. Ice (or an ice pack) should never be applied directly to the skin. Instead, wrap it in a thin cloth and apply it to the tender area for 10-15 minutes at a time.
A hot water bottle or a warm towel can soothe tight muscles that can be contributing to your jaw pain.
Planning your meals to include softer, easier to chew foods can get you through an episode of TMJD. Instead of hard to bite or chew foods like whole apples or corn on the cob, opt for softer foods like scrambled eggs and smoothies. This can save you from putting additional strain on your TMJ and the muscles that aid in biting and chewing.
Stress can be an underlying factor in TMJD, causing you to clench your jaw and grind your teeth. Relaxing the muscles in your face, jaw, and lips will ease some stress on the jaw joints. You might try techniques such as meditation, yoga, massage therapy, or soaking in a warm bath. These can help you learn how to better relax your muscles.
Performing slow and gentle jaw exercise can help bring balance back into the right and left TMJs, increase jaw mobility, and help with healing. You can start with gently massaging the tender areas to reduce tension and pain. Taking your jaw through its natural ranges of motion (open/close, left to right, and front to back) with some light resistance with your hand can help to strengthen and balance muscles. There are many online resources that can walk you through, step by step, various TMJ exercises to help with TMJD.
How you hold your head has a big impact on the alignment of your jaw. When you’re seated or standing, try to keep your neck in a neutral position over your shoulders and your shoulders pulled back rather than rounding forward. Craning your neck down (I.e. while using a smartphone or tablet) can strain the neck and jaw, leading to TMJ issues.
Many of the don’ts of TMJD care are self-explanatory once you’re aware of the habits you may have developed over time without thinking of it. Your jaw is designed for specific functions and using your head, mouth, jaw, and teeth to do things it wasn’t made to do can put a lot of strain on the TMJ. Keeping these things in mind can help to protect your TMJ:
Unnecessarily (and often unconsciously) using your jaw to chew on your nails or other objects can easily lead to increased TMJ pain and make your discomfort harder to manage.
If you have TMJ issues, you should absolutely avoid using your teeth to do things like tear tape, open up chip or cereal bags, or otherwise pull or pry with your jaw. Giving your jaw a rest from this abnormal stress can help it to heal.
If you have a job where you spend a lot of time on the telephone, it can be easy to wedge the phone between your ear and shoulder to keep your hands free. Rather than doing this, which can force your jaw into an abnormal position and cause wear and tear, opt for a headset or simply be sure to hold the phone to your ear with your head in a neutral position.
Sitting with your head propped up on your fist or in your hand is a habit that causes imbalance in the TMJ. Without realizing it, people will often default to this position on one side when sitting at a desk. Notice if you do this and then consciously try to avoid it.
Sleeping on your stomach requires that you have your head rotated to one side through the night, which can stress the jaw.
If you are experiencing common TMJD symptoms like jaw pain, facial pain, neck pain, headaches, earaches, and more, it’s best not to ignore your symptoms in hopes that they just disappear. Getting to the root of the problem sooner can help you to avoid bigger problems in the long run.
From an upper cervical chiropractic perspective, a misalignment of the atlas vertebra, the uppermost one in the neck, can be a major component in TMJ pain and dysfunction. When the atlas is out of alignment, it can affect your posture, cause issues with jaw positioning, and affect the nerves that control the muscles that influence jaw movement.
Upper cervical care is in a distinct position to help TMJ sufferers address the root cause of their trouble in a gentle, precise, and natural manner. Chronic issues with TMJ and jaw function can wear you down over time. Upper cervical chiropractic care is a great way to get to the bottom of your condition and get to feeling better naturally.
References:
https://www.health.com/pain/tmj-symptoms-treatment
to schedule a consultation today.
TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
