If you have temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, then you may already know the jaw pain it can cause. This discomfort can then turn into headaches and migraines, but living with this can take a toll on your quality of life. Thankfully, there are ways that you can find relief. Here are four things that you can try out, and how your dentist may be able to give you a long-term solution.
1.) Manage Your Stress
When you are stressed or anxious, you may subconsciously clench your jaw. This can flare up your TMJ disorder and lead to the related headaches. By avoiding situations that enact these emotions, you can help reduce the pain that you feel.
Better yet, there are many things you can do to let you relax! Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, using a heating pad, and taking a warm bath are just some things that you can try out to soothe muscles in your mouth and calm yourself. Find what works for you, and they can improve your overall well-being and headaches in the long run.
2.) Avoid Certain Foods
Certain foods that you eat may be putting strain on your jaw joints. Hard and crunchy options need a lot of pressure to get through, so you can consider swapping over to a diet with softer items. They are less likely to trigger your TMJ disorder as they don’t need to be chewed for as long or need a strong bite force to get through.
3.) Take Over-the-Counter Medication
In some cases, the discomfort you feel can be severe, so you can take pain relievers to help manage it. However, using this method as a daily way to alleviate your TMJ-related headaches isn’t usually recommended. You should also be sure to follow the directions on the bottle when it comes to figuring out how many you need to take.
4.) Seek Professional Treatment
Your dentist may also be of help when it comes to your TMJ disorder! They can give you effective treatments that fix the underlying cause or give you another service to significantly reduce the pain you feel.
One available option is an occlusal splint. This is an oral appliance that repositions your jaw, taking stress off of it while letting your facial muscles relax. By using this consistently, many patients often have long-term relief from their TMJ disorder symptoms.
While BOTOX is known for helping against wrinkles, it can also be used for your TMJ disorder. Your provider can put it strategically so that they can force your facial muscles to relax. It can last for three to four months, so you can get additional injections to keep up with the relief you deserve.
About the Practice
At Auburn Dental Smiles, you benefit from the skilled leadership of a team of dentists who look after you and your oral health. We are happy to help the local community with their TMJ disorder by offering effective treatment plans like occlusal splints and BOTOX. We can find a long-term solution that works for you to have a comfortable smile. If you want to see how we can treat you with your TMJ-related headaches, schedule an appointment or call our office at (253) 833-2290.
