Managing Stress to Help Your Jaw Rest
You may spend most of your life unaware of the important little
triangular-shaped joints located in front of your ears. Lined
with cartilage, these joints move with a smooth, gliding motion.
Under normal conditions, they join your lower jaw and temporal
bone, allowing your mouth to open and close easily. However, stress
or an improper bite can cause the joints to dysfunction, exposing
nerve endings to create pain. In fact, the temporomandibular joint
is highly sensitive to overall physical, emotional, and psychological
stress. It is affected by the mechanics of your bite and the condition
of your jaw muscles. A little extra stress, a little extra fatigue,
a little change in your bite, and you may temporarily knock the
whole system out of balance. The resulting TMJ disorder, or TMD,
can create a variety of mild to severe symptoms, from jaw clicking
and minor discomfort to sharp pain in your temple, ear, neck,
and shoulders.
The condition is very common in our culture, so we evaluate every
patient for TMJ dysfunction at their regular dental exam. If we
detect a problem, our goals are to arrest it, protect teeth from
further damage, and correct underlying bite misalignment. Therapy
may involve fitting you with a physiologic bite appliance, suggesting
ways to alleviate stress, and recommending symptom relief measures.
Typically, TMJ patients need to avoid chewing gum or hard, chewy
food, take small bites, and alternate chewing between both sides
of the mouth. Good nutrition will help the joint heal more quickly;
good posture will also help relieve discomfort. A straight back,
relaxed neck, and side-sleeping position are also helpful. To
relieve soreness, light temple and jaw massage will stimulate
circulation and relax the muscles. If pain is present, we suggest
alternating moist heat and cold for 20 minutes to further increase
circulation. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories or analgesics
can be very helpful as well.
For more information about TMJ, TMD, or neuromuscular dentistry,
call our office. We want help you receive the relief you deserve.
