Here’s How You Can Treat And Heal Jaw Pain At Home

TreatmentApril 29, 2021

TMJ problems are common and can strike anytime, without prior notice. Usually, people suffering from this issue report stiffness, unbearable pain, and restrained jaw movements. If you haven’t yet or may have but didn’t know why such a situation arose- here’s what you should know about TMJ. There’s the ‘temporomandibular joint’ (TMJ) that links the skull and the jawbone. So any problem with TMJ implies TMD or temporomandibular disease resulting in excruciating pain around the jaw joint and adjoining muscles.

Women face TMD more often than men, and sometimes the symptoms can intensify. Apart from lesser movements in jaw areas, pain, and stiffness, you might even have some weird clicking or popping sounds! Research shows that TMD affects no less than 10 million Americans. And certainly, you can’t head to your clinic every time the pain occurs. So try some basic home-based, selfdom-carte therapies.

Frequent Hot And Cold Compresses

Experts suggest that warm compresses on the temples, jaws, and neck region for about 12 minutes, twice a day, can promote relaxation in muscles. This is more of a preventive measure that can noticeably reduce the symptoms, especially when the pain increases. Ideally, warmth eases the stiffness in the jaws and relieves pain, owing to the blood supply to the region. However, if warm compresses fail to offer any help, resort to ice application. Unlike warmth, ice helps in reducing muscle spasms since it can numb the pain. Reality said both heat and ice switching could relieve several ailments.

Consume Soft Foods

While you stick to a soft diet for about 5 to 7 days at a stretch, TMD symptoms would decrease since the forces inside the joint structures tend to reduce. So what exactly do we mean by soft foods? Think of mashed potatoes, eggs, soups, and soft veggies cooked in mild gravy, applesauce, pasta, and you will know what you must eat. One important fact- stay away from chewing gums.

Increase The Intake Of Magnesium

Since TMD happens due to spasms and muscle tension, consume foods rich in magnesium content. Few good sources of magnesium include avocado, figs, kefir, almonds, bananas, chocolates, chard, spinach, yogurt, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and more. Though there is no clear connection, sometimes headaches and accompanying stress (whether or not for TMD) can also occur owing to magnesium deficiency.

Add Omega-3 To Your Diet

To improve your health and specifically the TMD condition, increase the intake of Omega-3. Your bodily functions, especially your heart, depend on this. When long-term inflammation occurs, it can cause several diseases and illnesses. Omega-3, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, proves worthy, no doubt, when added to the diet.

Go For Gentle Massages

Always rely on a professional when thinking of getting a quick massage for the face (or body)—the gentle massages of temples and jaw muscles, which you should do in a circular motion. Also, you should open and close your jaw slowly for every 30 seconds, for a total period of about 4 to 6 hours. This allows the stretching and massaging of the jaw muscle fibers in a hassle-free way, and naturally, it can curtail jaw dysfunction. You can try repeating this regimen at convenient times to prevent the jaw muscles from tending up.

Incorporate Relaxation Techniques

And nothing can be better than incorporating yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and exercises in your home and self-care remedies! When your autonomic nervous system is calm, you manage to reduce the blood pressure and heart rate. Sometimes, poor sleep can be a major cause of concern and added stress, so induce good sleeping patterns via proper meditation practices. Once the sleep cycles are taken care of, you would be able to concentrate and function better. As a result, the chances of TMD reduces significantly too.

In addition to these techniques that you include in your fight against TMD, ensure you stock some OTC medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. These nonspecific painkillers bring about an anti-inflammatory effect to the body. You can also choose topical creams like capsaicin, arnica, and such for the painful zones, at least twice or thrice a day. If not instantaneously, you will eventually get relief from the pain. And there would come a time when you could talk about the whole TMD phase as history!