Sometimes, people experience pain in the temporomandibular joints that help them open and close their mouths. Experts recommend beginning with the least invasive of the TMJ Treatment in Middleton WI before submitting to any type of surgery or more invasive treatment, as many times these steps are enough.
Self Care
There are a few steps you can take at home to help minimize TMJ pain. These include avoiding hard foods, not biting your nails, not chewing gum or yawning, and using a combination of ice and moist heat to help deal with the pain.
Medications
In some cases, it may be necessary to take some type of medication to deal with the pain. Start by trying over-the-counter pain relievers and, if these aren’t working, speak to your doctor about other alternatives, such as strong prescription-strength pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, or tricyclic antidepressants.
Dental Treatments
Sometimes, the TMJ pain may be due to teeth grinding or having the jaw or teeth being somewhat out of alignment. In these cases, a night guard or bite plate may be helpful for limiting the pain because it prevents teeth from grinding during sleep. Orthodontic treatment can help to bring teeth back into alignment.
Other Types of Therapy
It may be a good idea to learn the principles of relaxation therapy because, sometimes, this type of pain is worsened by stress. People tend to clench their jaws when they are stressed, so meditation or biofeedback may be beneficial. A physical therapist can give you some exercises to help strengthen your jaw muscles and may also use ultrasound therapy to help treat the problem.
Surgical Alternatives
Surgery and other invasive treatments are only recommended in the most severe cases. Corticosteroid injections may help limit pain as can minimally-invasive procedures such as arthrocentesis, TMJ arthroscopy, and modified condylotomy, depending on the exact nature of the problem. In the most serious cases, a doctor may recommend open-joint surgery to deal with the problem. This type of surgery is helpful if there’s an issue with the actual structure of the jaw.
TMJ and Sleep Center can take care of all your dental care needs.
