Learn To Live With Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

It is a lucky person that never has to deal with stress, the pressures of daily life are different for everyone, but there are always periods of time that can be difficult to deal with. How we deal with our stresses can vary wildly as some can just exercise away their worries, some can ignore them, and other worry so much that it can cause an actual medical condition. For a good section of the stressed out population, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) is a real concern.

This disorder is often caused by involuntary grinding of ones teeth or clenching the jaw tightly. Oftentimes, sufferers don’t know they even have TMJ because the grinding happens during the night, as they sleep. Symptoms can be innocuous enough that many won’t go to the doctor until it gets worse.

The pain that’s associated with TMJ involves, at its base, the joints and muscles that connect the top and lower jaw to one another. Our jaws are what make it possible to chew, yawn, and talk. Taking a few days or weeks off from doing these activities isn’t really possible.

The term pain can be general, but there are certain things to look for if you think you’re suffering from TMJ. A soreness of the entire jaw area and an inability to open or close your mouth easily are some of the easier signs. Some patients, however, deal with ear and head aches, as well as having an uneven bite due to their jaws being slightly out of alignment.

The causes of TMJ, for most who suffer from it, are directly related to stress, but there are other, different, risk factors. Arthritis sufferers can have their disease spread to this joint. Also, injuries can lead to TMJ symptoms. This is overall, however, a woman’s disease and usually strikes between the ages of 30 and 50 predominantly.

Just grinning and bearing it isn’t the way to go about dealing with TMJ. There are, fortunately, a number of treatments that encompass the pharmaceutical, surgical, and even behavioral. The first and last are usually all that are need since, since in most cases it is the overwork of muscles that is the problem.

The severity of your case can only be determined through an appointment with your doctor. Using a variety of image technology including the x-ray, CT scan, or MRI they’ll be able to take a detailed look at your bones and joint disks to elucidate the extent of the damage.

Dealing with the ongoing pain, while receiving other treatments, makes the prescription of pain killers or muscle relaxers standard for a number of people that are diagnosed with this condition. For some, TMJ may actually be a side effect of depression and they can do well with a number of different anti-depressants.

In more severe cases, injectable drugs like corticosteroids or Botox can be used. The former is typically used for arthritic patients and, while the injection itself can be quite painful, it acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory. Botox is used to paralyze some of the nerves so that the pain is eradicated.

On top of medication, most patients receive a tooth mold. These are similar to the mouth guards that professional athletes wear and they prevent the effects of teeth grinding, but are not a good choice for those who also have sleep apnea. The most effective adjunct therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy itself. Learning how to manage stress and alleviate it is the most important tool to managing stress and TMJ.

Tinnitus is a typical and very annoying symptom of TMJ. You can find plenty of information about different tinnitus treatment options on the internet. One of the best tinnitus cure programs available online is the Tinnitus Miracle system. Find out more by visiting at GetHelpForTinnitus.com.

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