TMJ Forum - Beginner to All of This

Hello Ashasarala,
You are at a crossroad right now and you need to be very careful with your jaw. Number one step if you can't go to a dentist is to ***relax*** your body. Work at relaxing from the head on down to your toes. Go to nismat.org TMJ physical therapy page so you can see a picture of how not to hold your head and body. Get into a hot tub or any other method you can think of to relax the entire body. I'll come back to this.

Next - if you are swollen, first use ice (in a warm room). This should help reduce the swelling. Put a cloth around the ice in a plastic bag (or other similar methods) and hold it on both sides directly on the jaw joint area for 15 minutes. Use moist heat after you "thaw out." Continue to use moist heat frequently and ice when you feel swollen.

Use Ibuprofen, if you can, to reduce any swelling. Use up to 800 mg if you feel the need. DO NOT take Motrin/ibuprofen on an empty stomach and even though I don't know the exact amount, I wouldn't take more than 1600 mg a day. Certain supplements are very beneficial also. Chelated Magnesium (or just the regular stuff) can be very helpful if you are clenching and/or grinding your teeth at night, which is a high probability. Up to 1200 mg a day. Super Vitamin B Complex is another great one. You might even try Glucosamine, Fish Oil, Calcium and Vitamin D. If you are not taking an anti-depressant of any kind, you might try St. John's Wort. It's supposed to be a "natural" anti-d, which can be very helpful to treat TMJ pain.

Relaxation. Stress. These combined are a big issue with TMJ. Please believe me, as I've gone through this for 27 years and rejected the stress theory all my life until a few years ago. A lifestyle change may even be necessary to reduce that stress. I had to change my job (along with other treatments). Even with all the damage done to my joints, the pain is now very manageable. Seriously and Praise God!!

First - be very selective with what you eat. Only liquid or softer foods for a few weeks (or months). No gum chewing, steaks, crunchy, chewy or gooey food. Treat your mouth like it has been sprained (like a knee). Baby it. Rest it and that does mean to talk as little as possible. Believe me, I understand the enormous inconvenience of TMJ.

More - try not to open your mouth wide for any reason for a while. A.N.D please, please try not to pop your jaw. I know the feeling, the compulsion, the need to feel like you have to pop the jaw when it feels like it is "out-of-joint," but you must try and resist this as it will cause damage to the joints. Big time damage.

Still More - Posture. Evaluate how you are sitting in front of a computer or desk. Your back should be reasonably straight, shoulders back and down, neck and head over body with the chin down (not too far down). Be very careful to not thrust your neck/head/chin up or out towards the computer to see the screen better (or any other reason). No slouching. Go back to the nismat.org (TMJ PT) website again for more directions on proper posture and good basic info on TMJ.

Last for now - Work at relaxing your mouth by keeping your teeth apart at all times, lips together but relaxed (or slightly apart), with tongue resting on the roof of your mouth. It took me years, but it is finally easy and natural for me.

There is more, but I have thrown a lot at you. Believe me when I say that these are true and tested self-help methods for handling TMJ. Self-massage can be great, but I have to find the webpage that describes it well before posting how to do it. Be careful about the over-the-counter mouth guards. If you feel you must wear one, don't wear it for very long and stop using it immediately if your bite starts to change or there's more pain.

Please ask any questions you might have. Relax. Not only because it's important to do so but because TMJ can be "cured" or managed, but it all depends so much on how it is treated, how your body responds, how much damage has already been done, etc. But it can be done. Honest!

God bless you,
Carol