After beginning my employment as an associate at a dental office during my first
year out of dental school, I realized that my passion to treat Temperomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) patients could not wait. I continued working in the office during the day and rented out some space in the office at night. After growing my business and deciding to open my own family practice, I combined the two. This was 17 years ago. One of my primary focuses is still treating patients with TMJ.
"TMJD is the second most commonly occurring musculoskeletal condition resulting in pain and disability" (dentalguideusa.org). With the growing prevalence of TMJ it is important for everyone to understand how to recognize the symptoms of TMJ and prevent the problem from worsening. There are many exercises that you can do to alleviate pain. While the causes of TMJ varyanything from sports injuries to excessive gum chewing to teeth grindingthe symptoms are all relatively the same:
Earaches
Speech abnormalities
Toothaches
Tooth mobility or tooth loss
Chronic headaches" (tmjsymptoms.org)
There are several exercises you can perform at home but it is important to get in to see a TMJ specialist to plan the best exercise routine and any other needed treatments for your jaw pain. The sooner you treat the real problem of your pain rather than just the symptoms, the sooner you will be on your way to recovery. Several activities to avoid if you have TMJ are:
Gum chewing
Teeth grinding (your dentist can help you with this)
Any activities that involve injury to the jaw
excessive talking when the jaw is already in pain
Whatever treatment option you pursue make sure that you are consistent with it and seek additional treatment if your pain worsens or persists. The worst thing you can do for your TMJ is nothing at all.