Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) is often misdiagnosed as temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Your jaw joint, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ), gets its name from the two bones that make up the joint. Thus, TMD Management is extremely important.
The temporal bone of your skull and the mandible, or mandible, fit together to form a hinge-like joint. TMJ popping and clicking when opening your mouth, closing your jaw, or chewing can indicate that your TMJ is not working properly. TMD can cause ringing in your ears, facial pain, and pain in your neck and shoulders. When TMJ imbalances are found, they can be corrected by balancing jaw muscle activity with chiropractic.
Basic treatment for TMD
· Apply moist hot or cold packs. Apply an ice pack on the sides of the face and temples for about 10 minutes. Do some simple stretching exercises for your jaw (as directed by your healthcare professional). After exercising, apply a hot towel or rice bag to the side of your face for about 5 minutes.
· Avoid chewing food. Eat bland foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, soups, scrambled eggs, fish, cooked fruits and vegetables, beans and grains. Cutting food into smaller pieces will reduce the amount of chewing required. Avoid hard and crunchy foods (such as hard rolls, pretzels, raw carrots), chewy foods (such as steak, caramel, and taffy), and thick or large foods (such as submarine sandwiches and applesauce) that take your stomach to eat. The mouth needs to be widened.
· Avoid excessive jaw movement. Keep yawning and chewing (especially gum or ice) to a minimum and do things that keep your jaw open like yawning or singing.
· Do not rest your chin on your hand or hold the phone between your shoulder and ear. Practice good posture to reduce neck and face pain.
· Keep your teeth slightly apart as often as possible to reduce pressure on the jaw. Keep your tongue between your teeth to control jaw stiffness and grinding during the day.
· Massage the side of your jaw to release tight and sore jaw muscles.
· Use a close pin between your molars with the open end in the back of your mouth, keeping your jaw slightly closed to create gentle traction on the jaw muscles.
There are two temporomandibular joints on each side of the face. The name temporomandibular comes from the two bones that make up the joint, the temporal bone and the mandible. The temporal bone is part of your skull and the mandible is the bone of your lower jaw. A small disc made of cartilage sits between the bones to form a joint.
TMD treatment is often painful and can result in ear congestion, ringing in the ears, facial swelling, headaches, and difficulty breathing; Pain in the back, neck and shoulders too. TMD is often caused by misalignment of teeth. This misalignment can be caused by stress, auto accidents, arthritis, and many other ailments that commonly affect the body's joints. If the disorder is not corrected, the jawbone will continue to erode and your teeth will begin to loosen. TMD can also cause tooth loss.
Final thoughts
Sometimes TMD can be successfully treated by a dentist. First, a thorough examination is conducted to determine the cause of the problems you are experiencing. Any areas of pain will be noted, and your bite will be studied. Muscle and jaw function will be assessed, as well as any difficulty you have with opening and closing the mouth. X-rays may be needed to get a complete and detailed view of your jaw joints and teeth.
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