What is TMD? – Symptoms and Treatment
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD/TMJ) is a disease many people are suffering from but that is barely diagnosed.
The temporomandibular joint connects the jawbone with the skull and enables you to open and close your mouth properly.
TMD can be caused by muscle tensions or joint problems, for example due to arthritis or a jaw injury. Also, chronic grinding or clenching of teeth may cause TMD frequently. In some cases, TMD can be caused by stress or anxiety.
Fortunately, TMD and its symptoms can be treated with self-managed care.
What are the symptoms of TMD?
TMD causes a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptoms of TMD are:
• Pain in the jaw muscles and the neck, headache, or toothache
• Tinnitus, ringing sounds and earache
• Clicking or grinding sounds of the temporomandibular joint
• Difficulty and restrictions to open the mouth
• Catching or locking of the joint when opening or closing the mouth
In general, TMD causes symptoms like pain and discomfort in either one or both sides of the face and sometimes even dizziness that may be temporary or last for several years.
However, these symptoms can be relieved with some simple treatments.
How to treat TMD
TMD treatment and relief of TMD symptoms can be easily done at home.
Some helpful and simple tricks, how to treat TMD at home include:
• Cooling the facial area with cold packs for about 10 minutes
• Stretching the jaw tenderly several times and warm it afterwards
• Avoid extreme jaw movements like chewing or yawning
• Ease the pressure on the joint by keeping the teeth slightly apart and avoid resting the chin in the hand
• Reduce stress and do relaxation exercises, e.g. meditation or endurance sports
Besides, there is another treatment for TMD. The TMD Relief is a useful tool to deal with temporomandibular joint dysfunction. The TMD Relief is adaptable to every patient´s morphology and can re-educate the bite and relax the muscle with only 10 minutes of daily exercise.
