Causes of TMJ and Finding Relief for the Problem

Are you experiencing persistent pain in your face and jaw without understanding what is causing the discomfort? Most frequently, the facial pain is related to the temporomandibular joint, the hinge-like joint joining your upper and lower jawbones. You begin experiencing pain when the joints aren’t working correctly, indicating you have a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ).

The temporomandibular joint comprises a series of muscles, bones, discs, and ligaments helping your jaw move forward or backward and from side to side. However, you begin experiencing pain and trouble moving your jaw when something is not functioning correctly in the jaw joint.

Persistent pain with your jaw joint is not life-threatening but undoubtedly affects your quality of life, making you search for remedies to find relief from the discomfort. Fortunately, you can try at-home remedies or visit the dentist 20176 and explain your symptoms to enable the professional to determine whether you are dealing with a temporomandibular joint disorder.

Symptoms Indicating You Are Affected by a TMJ Disorder

When experiencing problems with the TMJ joint, the symptoms include pain or tenderness in the jaw joint, neck or shoulders, feeling of tightness, and pain in-your-face besides swelling on the sides of your face. You may also experience pain in the ear and discomfort while chewing or biting.

Other problems that may bother you include toothaches, headaches, dizziness, locked jaw, and clicking and gratings sensations when opening or closing your mouth.

Causes and Risk Factors of TMJ Disorders

Recognizing the symptoms of TMJ disorders and nerve pain is not challenging. Unfortunately, determining the precise reasons for the discomfort is difficult because your doctor or dentist may not be in a position to inform you of the exact causes of your TMJ pain. TMJ disorders occur for various reasons, including arthritis damage in joint cartilage, disc erosion, injuries to the jaw, or even bruxism. While you may develop TMJ disorders because of bruxism, not everyone clenching and grinding their teeth may develop this problem.

TMJ disorders also occur from poor posture, orthodontic braces, chewing gum excessively, and connective tissue diseases affecting the TMJ joint.

Who You to Contact for TMJ Disorders?

Contacting the dentist near you is an excellent way of diagnosing whether you are affected by a TMJ disorder. Your family physician, an ENT specialist, or an oral surgeon can also help diagnose and treat your TMJ problem.

If you visit the dentist in Leesburg, the professional will check your jaw joint, asking you to move it, looking for signs of pain and tenderness. The dentist also checks for clicking and grating sounds when moving your jaw while checking the jaw movement and facial muscles. X-rays and MRI scans also help the dentist rule out other issues giving clear indicators of what’s happening in your face. After diagnosing your condition, the professional determines a treatment best suited for your situation.

Treatment Options for TMJ Disorders

Generally, TMJ disorders disappear by themselves in a couple of months, requiring no treatment. However, if the discomfort persists, you have various treatment options available, most from home and even from your dentist, after exhausting all possibilities.

When seeking TMJ treatment near you from the dentist in your locality, the professional will likely recommend you eat soft foods and avoid foods like thick sandwiches, chewing gum, et cetera besides practicing proper posture and avoiding resting your chin on your hand. In addition, if you are affected by bruxism, the dentist recommends you use a night guard to keep your teeth apart when sleeping and use moist heat and cold packs on your jaw several times a day for 10 minutes each.

Dr. Jane O. Stewart recommends massaging your jaw muscles and neck with a physical therapist and exercising gently at home to find relief from the TMJ pain. However, if the discomfort is persistent, the doctor recommends pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory medications.

Physical therapists can provide techniques for stretching and massaging the TMJ to help strengthen and stretch your jaw. Therapists can also perform ultrasounds to determine behaviors that are worsening your TMJ problems.

If you find no relief from other treatment options, the doctor might eventually suggest surgery and other procedures. However, in most cases, you find relief from the treatment provided by the dentist in Leesburg to see your TMJ problems dissipating to leave you in a comfortable position within a few days. However, you must continue practicing the exercises or posture recommended by the dentist because your lifestyle habits contribute significantly to TMJ problems.