Treatment Options: Dental and Medical
When you call on your dentist because you are experiencing jaw popping, you may be prescribed some simple home remedies to ease your discomfort. Some of these remedies are:
Ice pack or moist heat. To be applied to the jaw area to ease the swelling
NSAID. Examples are ibuprofen, aspirin, muscle relaxants that can reduce the inflammation.
Soft food diet. This avoids putting too much pressure on the TMJ by eating hard foods.
Night guard or splint. Applicable when you unconsciously grind your teeth or clench your jaw during sleep.
TMJ-specific exercises. Like relaxing jaw exercises, goldfish exercises, chin tucks, resisted opening/closing of the mouth, jaw movements, among others, as instructed by your dentist.
If corrective dental treatments are called for, like tooth extraction, straightening, and alignment of the teeth, your dentist may perform them. Seek medical treatment for other causes of TMJ dysfunction. They can be trigger point injections that can relieve pain and tension; radio wave therapy which increases the blood flow to the area; and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) that uses electrical pulses to stimulate muscle contractions to promote massage.
Some form of surgery, though not always successful, can be recommended. There’s arthrocentesis, which removes fluid from the joint; open-joint surgery, which replaces or repairs the TMJ; and arthroscopy that uses small surgical instruments to repair.
In most cases, TMJ is only a temporary condition. Some lifestyle changes and application of home remedies can provide relief.
SourceLearning More About TMJ
If you think you are having jaw pain or experiencing jaw popping, look no further than consulting with our Lynnwood dentist and learn more about TMJ.
