5 Steps for Chronic TMJ Disorder Treatment At Home

When it comes to treating TMJ disorder from home, the ideal approach is to combine tactics to relieve your pain by addressing the underlying cause. While each patient’s treatment strategy should be unique and will vary depending on the severity of their condition, self-managed at-home care is something everyone can do. Here are a few easy techniques to implement in a TMJ disorder treatment plan.

1. Thermotherapy: Hot and Cold

A tried-and-true therapeutic technique for TMJ disorder is a combination of hot and cold therapy. Alternate between a warm, wet washcloth and an ice pack, or integrate jaw exercises by applying the ice pack for 10 minutes, performing a few jaw exercises, and then applying the warm washcloth for 5 minutes. You can do this several times a day.

2. Alter Your Eating Habits

It’s critical to give your jaw plenty of time to rest during a flare-up, including avoiding hard, chewy, or crunchy meals. You may eat smoothies, yogurt, soup, scrambled eggs, and other soft meals in place of gum, bagels, entire apples, and caramels. One should avoid anything that needs excessive chewing.

3. Avoid Poor Posture & Extreme Jaw Movements

Try not to open your mouth wide when you yawn and don’t slouch or hold your chin up with your hand while working at a computer. It is best to avoid yelling, singing, and eating those double-decker burgers that need large bites while your TMD is acting up.

4. Try Supplementing Magnesium

Magnesium supplements, believe it or not, can help with TMD pain. This is because magnesium relaxes your muscles naturally, reducing tension across your body. Because most Americans have low magnesium levels, this simple step could make all the difference in TMD. You can increase your magnesium intake naturally by modifying your diet or taking a supplement. Magnesium is available in gummy and powdered form that you can stir into water, in addition to regular capsules.

5. Consume Caffeine in Moderation

Finally, it would help to keep your caffeine intake to a minimum. That cup of coffee can create more than just jitters; it can also cause muscle tension, contributing to jaw clenching. If you can’t live without your caffeine, try switching from coffee to matcha, which many patients say provides the same amount of caffeine without the anxiety and muscular strain that coffee does.

TMJ Disorder Relief Beyond At-Home Treatments

At-home treatment for TMJ disorder pain will only get someone with chronic TMJ pain so far. In the case of patients with moderate to severe symptoms, the one true solution to their TMD is to seek more advanced treatment strategies. Patients suffering from TMJ disorder can schedule a consultation with Dr. Buck by calling 425-361-7499.